Sharon Hamilton's story

Sacha Walters, Staff Reporter

Like any expectant mother, Sharon Hamilton is eager to find out the gender of her unborn child, celebrates the achievements of her 11-year-old daughter and relishes the support of friends. She's always been able to relish the positive.

At 25, Hamilton was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Cancer was not in her frame of reference. The young administrative assistant had not even done a self breast exam before.

"It was the farthest thing from my mind," Hamilton said. It was her mother who noticed the lump on her breast one morning when she was exiting the bathroom.

"Apparently it was very big. But I didn't notice it, strangely," she said. After she visited the doctors and two biopsies were done, with one malignant and the other benign, she would eventually have to have a mastectomy and remove her right breast.

Inner strength

But Hamilton would not let it get her down. She pulled on an inner strength she believes she's always had, and helped pull her friends and family through this trial.

"I had friends who confessed to me after that when I told them they bawled. But it's afterwards when they sat down and they said 'but when she was telling me she didn't cry so why am I here crying?'."

After six months of chemotherapy, her tests gave her further hope. There was no sign of cancer.

She became pregnant with her now 11-year-old daughter. She breastfed her, this her first child, for four months.

"I fed her with the one breast," she said and her daughter was well fed and healthy.

Hamilton does not discount the support of God, family, friends, co-workers and the Jamaica Cancer Society's Reach for Recovery.

Her partner at the time was extremely supportive, she said. He would accompany her downtown to purchase wigs after she went through chemotherapy and lost her hair.

"He would not allow me to wear the wig around the house." she said he would insist she take a break and give her scalp a break.

"He was really supportive," that was before he passed on.

Enjoying life

Hamilton, now 39, is six months pregnant with her second child, cancer free and enjoying life.

"I don't know, it's just an inner thing that I had from growing up, and whatever comes at me, I look at it in a positive light."

She spoke of her first child with pride, who will sit her GSAT examinations next year.

Hamilton, who also relies on her faith, and is a member of the Richmond Park Church of the Nazarene, says, as with all things, she leaves it in God's hands.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, if you know of a man who has had breast cancer, tell us about it at: lifestyle@gleanerjm.com