{"id":28461,"date":"2022-11-16T14:00:35","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T14:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/?p=24865"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:13:12","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:13:12","slug":"being-open-will-help-bring-awareness-meet-the-fashion-vlogger-who-went-public-on-her-diagnosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/being-open-will-help-bring-awareness-meet-the-fashion-vlogger-who-went-public-on-her-diagnosis\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Being open will help bring awareness\u2019: Meet the fashion vlogger who went public on her diagnosis."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Adobea,<\/div>\n

When diagnosed with cancer, deciding how and when to tell people can leave a patient feeling anxious and alone. For some it feels right to tell people individually, but sometimes social media can be a powerful platform.<\/p>\n

It can help people reach out to a wide and varied audience, garner support and receive positive feedback.<\/p>\n

But having patient information like leaflets and posters that reflect diversity is also important to ensure different ethnic groups are represented and feel listened to.<\/p>\n

Adobea\u2019s story<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Style vlogger Adobea Obeng decided to open up about her cancer diagnosis on her YouTube channel earlier this year.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>She will never forget the moment she was diagnosed with cancer, aged just 31. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMy first thought was \u2018I have a son, I can\u2019t have cancer \u2013 who will bring him up?\u201d<\/p>\n

More devastating still, Adobea was told the disease was incurable.<\/p>\n

But as she tried to come to terms with the news, there was a further, unexpected challenge when she struggled to find information about cancer that felt relevant to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you think about cancer, you don\u2019t really see a face like mine,\u201d she said. \u201cBut people who look like me are living with cancer every day, and sometimes dying from it.<\/p>\n

\u201cCancer doesn\u2019t discriminate \u2013 black, white, brown, age, height, weight, health nuts, people into their fitness. There\u2019s no one single face of cancer \u2013 anyone can get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she started her treatment, Adobea found it difficult to talk about her illness \u2013 partly because she didn\u2019t want people to worry about her and partly because she was in denial. And she didn\u2019t know where to turn for support.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is help out there \u2013 but I didn\u2019t know it at the time \u2013 I wasn\u2019t seeing people like me in the leaflets and posters I was given. I felt as if I was the only one going through this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The importance of talking<\/h2>\n

Social media became an outlet enabling Adobea to share her cancer journey and feel connected.<\/p>\n

After treatment, Adobea set up a plus size fashion Instagram and YouTube channel @itsdivinestyle<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Normally it\u2019s chatty and upbeat. But in May this year, she decided to tell her cancer story with raw honesty.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just so important to talk about it. Being vulnerable and open helps bring awareness.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince talking about my cancer, I\u2019ve had so many kind words that have really touched my heart. So many people thought they were alone too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, four years on, the 35-year-old from Romford, is thankful to be on treatment that is keeping her stage 4 breast cancer in check. Three of the drugs used in her treatment Cancer Research UK helped develop.<\/p>\n

The road to treatment<\/h2>\n
Adobea in hospital<\/p>

” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Adobea-in-hospital.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Adobea-in-hospital.jpg” loading=”lazy” class=” size-full wp-image-24872″ src=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Adobea-in-hospital.jpg” alt=”Adobea in hospital” width=”150″ height=”150″ srcset=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Adobea-in-hospital.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Adobea-in-hospital-96×96.jpg 96w” sizes=”(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px”><\/p>

Adobea in hospital<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Adobea\u2019s road to diagnosis was not straightforward.<\/p>\n

In 2016 she found a grape-sized lump in her breast but was advised by a GP that she was young, so it was \u2018probably nothing\u2019. By the following year, the lump had grown to the size of a tangerine. She again saw a GP but was told as there was no pain, there was nothing to worry about.<\/p>\n

In April 2018, with the lump even bigger, Adobea started to experience back pain. One day on her way to work, she developed a piercing pain in her chest and was finding it hard to breathe. She went to hospital by ambulance, however, doctors said it was musculoskeletal pain and sent her home with painkillers.<\/p>\n

Over the next two days, Adobea deteriorated further, dealing with excruciating pain \u2013 every breath was agonising. An ambulance was called and this time she insisted on a CT scan.<\/p>\n

The following day, a consultant told her she had a 7cm mass in her breast, nodules in her armpit were affected and she was sent for a biopsy.<\/p>\n

\u201cCancer had never entered my head \u2013 that was an old person\u2019s disease. I didn\u2019t feel ill, I had no pain, so I was sure it wasn\u2019t cancer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But a couple of days later, doctors confirmed she had metastatic ER2 positive breast cancer. \u201cIt was the worst day of my life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Within two weeks Adobea started chemotherapy treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s probably the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever had to go through. Chemo is no joke,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Adobea had four rounds of chemotherapy and is now on hormone treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cCancer is just a part of who I am now. There are so many people living with cancer, including secondary cancer, and living relatively normal lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adobea and her son, Fabian<\/p>

” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Adobea-and-son-Fabian.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Adobea-and-son-Fabian.jpg” loading=”lazy” class=” size-full wp-image-24873″ src=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Adobea-and-son-Fabian.jpg” alt=”Adobea and her son, Fabian” width=”150″ height=”150″ srcset=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Adobea-and-son-Fabian.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Adobea-and-son-Fabian-96×96.jpg 96w” sizes=”(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px”><\/p>

Adobea and her son, Fabian<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Her son, Fabian, now 13, knows his mum has incurable cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe gave me a lot of strength to fight when things were really bad during treatment. He was instrumental in keeping me strong and positive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talk about it, and I try to be as honest as possible. But I make sure it\u2019s not the centre of our world \u2013 our lives are pretty normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adobea\u2019s great grandma had cervical cancer but didn\u2019t have the treatment options available today.<\/p>\n

\u201cResearch is leaps ahead now,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m grateful to have options she didn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how much time I have so I\u2019m going to enjoy it. Tomorrow isn\u2019t guaranteed. But research into better treatments has given me more precious time with Fabian and my loved ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis wouldn\u2019t be possible without the dedication of scientists who are relentlessly striving towards new discoveries and milestones. This vital work needs our support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lynn<\/em><\/p>\n

A wide range of free patient literature is available on the Cancer Research UK website: <\/strong>https:\/\/publications.cancerresearchuk.org\/early-diagnosis<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 along with information and support from our Nurses helpline on 0808 800 404.<\/strong><\/p>\n

More on this topic<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When diagnosed with cancer, deciding how and when to tell people can leave a patient feeling anxious and alone. For some it feels right to tell people individually, but sometimes social media can be a powerful platform. It can help people reach out to a wide and varied audience, garner support and receive positive feedback. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28461"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44803,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28461\/revisions\/44803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}