Cancer fighter in pain as she awaits surgery

For over a year, Nicole Solomon has not only had to contend with the challenges of battling stage-four breast cancer, but is also struggling to access critical treatment needed for her survival.

In May 2023, Solomon sought treatment after discovering a marble-sized lump at the bottom of her left breast. Initially, she believed it was a swelling caused by her bra, but she consulted a doctor at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH). Following her examination, she was referred for a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy, which she did two days later. But in the month it took her to receive her results, Solomon's left breast doubled in size.

As a result, she had to do chemotherapy to reduce the lump before she could do surgery. But while doing therapy, she slipped and broke her hip and was hospitalised at the CRH, where for more than three months, she was unable to get hip-replacement surgery. After finally doing the surgery on September 2, she tried to get a surgery date for her mastectomy, but with no success.

"Each time mi guh to chemo (clinic), mi explain to them mi breast draw down now, a time fi mi get one date. But chemo is saying the surgical clinic has to give me a date, while the surgical clinic is saying chemo has to be the one to write it (the date) in the docket," Solomon explained. She said that the back and forth has made her extremely frustrated, but what really worries her, is that her CT scan showed the cancer is spreading.

"Mi need the surgery urgently because mi cah sleep. Mi breast a hurt mi, mi back a hurt me, and mi just cah endure this nuh more," a frustrated Solomon said.

Solomon has decided to try and get the surgery at a private facility. Initially, she wanted to do a double mastectomy, which is an operation to remove both breasts, but due to her urgent need for surgery, she will settle for a single mastectomy, which costs $98,000. However, because Solomon was in the hospital for an extended period, she had to leave her job and is now struggling to afford her healthcare. She told THE STAR that she has no funds for her surgery. However, Reach to Recovery, a non-profit organisation that supports women battling breast cancer, has pledged to assist Solomon once she submits all the necessary documentation.

The president of the organisation, Sandra Samuels, told THE STAR that Solomon's case is not unique.

"This is not a one-off situation...the wait is long in the public system because when people have no funds, they have to wait on a date because the line is very long," Samuels said.

"It's not unusual for persons to be waiting, and there is, at times, this 'pass the buck' situation where they're saying, 'It's not me you must come to, it's that person', or 'It's not that person you must go to, it's the next person,'" Samuels added. She also explained that even though treatment is offered publicly, cancer is still an expensive disease to treat.

"Many still have to turn to [the] private sector to get the pretesting done before they can get the surgery, because the public sector doesn't offer certain things. So they have to go privately to get a bone scan, if a bone scan is requested," Samuels explained, adding that more funds need to be allocated to help save lives.

"You can't have people waiting for months to be seen or to be admitted, because cancer is time-sensitive. So, waiting for months is not acceptable. It's unacceptable, but what to do? That is your only option. If you don't have the first dollar, what are you going to do but wait?" Samuels said.