When your body is battling a serious illness such as cancer, you will most likely be able to feel the effects or recognise some symptoms. For Shakti Dalal, however, she had no idea that she was ill – until her newborn figured it out.
Dalal’s daughter, Laila, was mere weeks old in 2012 when she drew doctors’ attention to a lump in her breast, and ultimately, cancer. The tot had stopped wanting to breastfeed, and with no explanation for why, Dalal began to examine the area.
“She was really fussy. And she was only two months old, so it was pretty precocious of her to communicate to me that there was something wrong. I was producing enough milk, so I knew that wasn’t the problem, but around the same time I started feeling a lump,” said the mother-of-three.
Despite initially believing that the lump was a blocked duct, Ms Dalal was told that she actually had stage three breast cancer. Although doctors ‘couldn’t see much’ through their examinations, they discovered that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.
As for how little Laila was able to detect the disease in her mother? Doctors think that the breast milk may have taken on a bitter taste.
Dalal went on to undergo chemotherapy and radiation, before having a single mastectomy. Thankfully, in February 2013, she was declared cancer-free. Now, the doting mum has gone public with her story in a bid to warn other mothers of the warning signs of cancer.
“You really need to stop and listen to your body and get things addressed immediately. Nine times out of 10 nothing will be wrong, but at least you’ll have peace of mind,” she told local media.
What an incredible story that will, no doubt, save lives.
