Atoosa Rashid says cancer was her “first real heartbreak.” “It started with a weird feeling in my abdomen that progressed until I was flat on the floor holding my stomach,” she said. “My dad took me to
the ER, but the diagnosis didn’t come quick.”
Initially, Atoosa was given Tylenol and sent home. It wasn’t until she returned to the hospital with symptoms of an infection that she was admitted for further testing. “For two months I had infection after infection and finally a colonoscopy,” she said. Once they identified a tumour as the cause, surgery promptly followed, along with a biopsy and a devastating result: colorectal cancer, stage two.
“The first doctor left me hopeless,” she said. “I had nothing but statistics thrown at me until I asked for a referral to Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.” Her outlook changed shortly after meeting with Dr. Elena Elimova and Dr. Elan Panov at the Cancer Centre. They offered Atoosa solutions instead of stats. “I remember her [Dr. Elimova] telling me they would do everything they could to figure it out, that’s what I needed, someone who was going to give it their all.”
The Princess Margaret team did give it their all. After six months in treatment and 12 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy, Atoosa achieved remission. “The whole experience confirmed life’s ups and downs. The only moment we have is the present, and that’s the most valuable lesson I will take away,” she said. “I had lost the will to live, and my doctors gave it back to me.”
Looking back on the experience, Atoosa has a new appreciation for the level of care and the attention to
detail she experienced at The Princess Margaret. From effective nausea medication, to almost invisible, painless IV insertions, Atoosa knows now that “even the smallest improvements can make life so much easier for patients.” Knowing that fundraising will continue to improve cancer care is why she continues to support Princess Margaret Home Lottery, “even if it helps just one more person facing cancer tomorrow.”