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'I've been healthy all my life but I still got cancer'

2010-04-20 10:17:30

By Neil Bowdler

Health Reporter

Earlier this month, tennis legend Martina Navratilova told the world she had

breast cancer. Today, she is in the boxing ring.

Gloved up and feet bare, she climbs through the ropes into the ring with the

confidence of a pro - and is soon happily throwing punches at a freelance

journalist.

The location is the Fight for Peace Academy, an east London project in which

the young are encouraged to channel their anger and frustrations into boxing

and other contact sports. The visit is part of her work for the Laureus

sporting foundation.

We as women are so used to taking care of everybody else, but don't take care

of ourselves.

Martina Navratilova

But it comes as the nine-times Wimbledon women's singles champion has been

facing a battle of her own. She has already called it her own "personal 9/11" -

and she is still yet to undergo radiotherapy.

The diagnosis came with a telephone call from her doctor. She was expecting all

to be fine - everything had indicated it would be.

Instead, she was told she had a ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) - a breast

cancer that starts inside the milk ducts. The good news was that it was

non-invasive and that a lumpectomy, which she has now undergone, followed by

six weeks of radiotherapy, should suffice.

"Right now I'm technically cancer-free and the radiation is just to help make

sure it doesn't come back so I should be OK," she explains in an interview

following her short bout in the ring.

She says she will be biking herself to the radiotherapy sessions in May, and

she has absolutely no plan of taking it easy. Ice hockey, triathlon bike rides

and tennis - she is doing it all - and all will help her recovery, she says.

And just for good measure, she plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in December for

the Laureus foundation.

"You should try to hopefully go on with your life and do what you love to do

and I've always wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, so why not now?"

Not in control

But there is also a recognition from Navratilova that cancer is one thing you

cannot control, much as the athlete in her would like to.

BREAST CANCER FACTS

Breast cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK with 46,000 women

diagnosed in 2007

In the last 10 years, female breast cancer rates in the UK have increased by

Worldwide, more than a million women are diagnosed with breast cancer every

year Source: Cancer Research UK

"Obviously, I'm totally not in control. I'm trying to do my part as far as

being healthy and eating healthy and all that. I've done that all my life but I

still got cancer."

There is also a determination to speak out and to urge other women not to make

the mistake she did of going for four years without a mammogram, a lapse of

judgement which could have proven immensely costly.

"We as women are so used to taking care of everybody else, but don't take care

of ourselves," she says.

"If there's something going on, you should find out as soon as possible. Don't

forget you need to take care of yourself."

High-profile names can help raise awareness of a disease or condition, and

bring it under the spotlight. This video series talks to those in the public

eye about their personal reasons for speaking out.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8630495.stm

Published: 2010/04/20 01:53:16 GMT