Dalia Schaffer was in her third year of studying psychology at McGill, when the sudden discovery of a lump in her breast changed everything. Panicked, she immediately texted her parents, and after a call with her family doctor, Dalia was referred to Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and given an appointment for the following week.
The fall Reading Week came and instead of spending her break catching up on homework or hanging out with her friends, Dalia was spending it at the Gattuso Rapid Diagnostic Clinic. 48 hours after her ultrasound, mammogram, and biopsy, she received her devastating diagnosis: stage 3 triple negative breast cancer, cancer in her lymph nodes, and a BRCA-1 mutation.
“I was in complete shock,” recalls Dalia. “I wasn’t prepared for what I heard. I had no idea that someone who was 20 years old could be diagnosed with breast cancer.” Even though she was scared, Dalia knew she was in good hands at The Princess Margaret. “The first thing my doctors told me after my diagnosis was that I was going to be ok. Being surrounded by so many doctors with the best cancer knowledge, I felt like I was in a safe place.”
Dalia immediately began an aggressive treatment plan that included eight rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and a complete right lymph node dissection. 24 hours before her lymph node surgery, a MOLLI seed, a new technology used at The Princess Margaret, was injected into her armpit. Her surgeon, Dr.Cil, then used a small wand to locate the tiny magnet during her surgery. This helped show Dr. Cil where and how deep to cut, giving her clear measurements of the tumour and ensuring no cancer cells were left behind.
Three years after her diagnosis, Dalia feels like life is good again: “I feel like I’m done with being behind. I feel like I’m moving forward now.” Today, she’s cancer-free and proud to give back to the organization that saved her life by working as a marketing coordinator at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.
“It’s really important to me to be passionate about the work that I do. I saw first-hand the effect that research has on patient care. All proceeds from the Princess Margaret Home Lottery go to cancer research at the Cancer Centre and it really makes a difference in cancer outcomes all over the world.”