Survivor sounds breast cancer alarm - Retired teacher urges women to get checked

When she was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer, Koralee Glen knew there was nothing "small" about it.

Five years later, the retired teacher and grandmother is proof that early detection, backed by faith and resilience, saves lives. Her journey began in early 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was shutting down clinics and delaying test results. What started with a mammogram quickly turned into biopsies, surgery, and months of chemotherapy. It was a battle Glen faced, not with fear, but with prayer, determination and the unwavering support of her family.

When doctors first told her there was a lump, Glen admitted that she dismissed it. But after months of waiting in lockdown, the result arrived. The mass was suspicious and she needed further testing.

"It was like someone poured a bucket of water on me," she recalled.

In the face of medical uncertainty, she turned to the only source of comfort she trusted.

"I told God, I don't know what a biopsy is, but whatever the result, give me the courage to accept it," she told THE STAR.

The financial hurdle followed. The biopsy was first quoted at $135,000. Glen braced herself, until she checked with a private imaging centre in Kingston, where she was placed on a special list and the cost dropped to $56,000.

"In the height of COVID, that was nothing short of a miracle," she said.

The diagnosis confirmed stage one cancer.

"At first, they suggested taking both [breasts]. I braced myself. But another doctor said only one needed to be removed, the other would be monitored yearly," she said.

Surgery followed on August 10, 2020. After five days in hospital, a nurse checked her drain tube and found no fluid.

"She said it was a miracle," Glen said.

The harder battle came months later. In December 2020, her chemotherapy journey began.

"The first round, all my hair went, eyelashes, eyebrows, everything. My fingers turned black. My toenails, my tongue, my gums. I was sick, and I cried when my hair came out," she recalled.

But one afternoon changed her mindset. Listening to children on NCU Radio giving thanks amid their own trials, Glen told herself: "This hair will grow back. I'm alive. I will give thanks."

Her husband and children never left her side, praying, driving her to treatments, reminding her daily that life continued beyond cancer.

"My family was always there for me. They reminded me this was not the end of life," she said.

Her silence gradually gave way to courage as she realised her experience could offer the same hope she once needed.

"At first I didn't want to talk about being a breast cancer patient," she admitted. But her confidence grew when she joined Jamaica Reach to Recovery, a support group under the Jamaica Cancer Society.

"Listening to the ladies share their stories gave me hope I could get beyond cancer, too. That's when I knew my story could help someone else," she said.

In 2022, she got the news every survivor dreams of: there was no sign of cancer.

"I started jumping and praising the Lord. It was the best news!"

Now back in teaching, Glen uses her platform to remind women not to let fear delay action.

"Sometimes I ask myself, 'Did I really have breast cancer?' Then I look in the mirror and say, 'One day God will give me two nice perky breasts.' Until then, I tell every woman that stage one is still serious. Don't wait, get checked."

Her call for vigilance echoes the focus of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is celebrated in October. The month highlights early screening, access to treatment, and survivor support. In Jamaica, where about 1,200 women are diagnosed each year, advocates say too many present at stage three or four, long past the window for easier treatment.