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MMI Medical ArticlesMMI Patient Story Sarrah Fadlabi
A diagnosis of multiple myeloma is invariably shocking, distressing, and bewildering but for Sarrah Fadlabi, it was a curious mixture of relief and acceptance.
Not only had she feared that her symptoms meant she was in the very late stages of another cancer, she knew all too well about multiple myeloma – her mother had been diagnosed with the blood cancer seven years previously.
Originally from Sudan and a trained architect, Sarrah’s father worked as a surgeon in Ireland for some years, so she was in fact born in Dublin. She moved to Ireland in 2019 with her young children and shortly afterwards in 2020, she began experiencing strange symptoms, which, like those of many other multiple myeloma patients, were non-specific.
“I was always tired, very tired, but the symptom that made me finally go see the doctor was very severe back pain,” she explains. “It was very strange – when I would change position, I felt like there were electric shocks in my bones. If I wanted to stand up it was so difficult to even do that – I almost preferred to stay standing rather than sit down and have to stand up again.” Her haemoglobin levels also showed up as slightly low on blood tests, but a definitive diagnosis took some time – Sarrah’s symptoms first manifested in June 2020 but she wasn’t diagnosed until January 2021 after all the relevant investigations had been carried out. She was aged just 43.
“It was such a shock but for me it was almost better than being diagnosed with another cancer because they found lesions in my bones and they thought that this was a secondary cancer for a tumour that is hidden somewhere in my body,” Sarrah recalls. “If that was the case it would have meant that I would have been late stage with another type of cancer. Of course, to be diagnosed with any kind of cancer is a big shock but for me it was almost better to have multiple myeloma, as me and my mother knew exactly how to support each other because we were experiencing the same thing.”
Sarrah’s mother had been diagnosed in 2014 but she continues to feel well and live life to the fullest. “Right now, she just has side effects of her medication, such as tiredness and bone pain, and of course she is getting older, she has just turned 74.”
Sarrah’s treatment began in earnest shortly after her diagnosis, and she has high praise for the staff at Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore. “They were so nice and supportive, they really helped me a lot.” It wasn’t all smooth sailing – unfortunately, Sarrah contracted Covid-19 after her first dose of chemotherapy. She ended up spending eight days in the ICU, an extremely tough experience for her and her family.
“The first 16 cycles of chemotherapy finished in June 2021 and I had the stem cell transplant in November in St James’s Hospital in Dublin,” she says. “The transplant is not an easy thing to go through but when you are diagnosed with something like cancer you can bear anything, so I was willing to do whatever it takes.”
Sarrah is now in remission and on maintenance therapy, attending Tullamore for regular monitoring. She has also been offered a place in Atlantic Technological University Galway for an MSc programme in built environment regulation, commencing shortly. “Hopefully after finishing it I will go back to work and normal life.”
Looking to the future, Sarrah says she looks forward to the day when a cure is offered to multiple myeloma patients. When asked how she maintains her positive outlook, she cites her children and her husband as the source for her strength. “When I was diagnosed the main thing I was thinking about was my children,” she says of her now 16-year old daughter and 13-year old son. “I really thank God that I am still here with them and available for them and I can teach them and take care of them. My husband has also been an amazing support. I want to stay with them for as long as possible.”
“Cancer is a dangerous disease but it can be treated,” she adds. “You should feel optimistic as we have the best care here.”
MMI Patient Story by Sarrah Fadlabi