Kate
"I was in Cambodia for work. It was a very hot night, and I literally swept my hand down my body and said out loud, ‘Oh, it's so hot!’ And I felt this lump, It felt like half the size of a golf ball. I thought, I'm not going to be too worried about it, but I emailed my doctor and made an appointment.
They've said all along you're very lucky you caught it early.
I guess there's some people who go through this sort of thing who are not information seekers. But I'm like, ‘tell me everything!’. My oncologist, at our first meeting, said, ‘our job is to take your body to the very edge to kill the cancer. We take you to the edge, knowing that once we stop, the systems that we are affecting will recover.’ So it is scary stuff.
I just asked questions all the time. I'm a pretty cynical person, but I'm so impressed with the quality of care. I was told when I was first diagnosed, you're in the best city in New Zealand for breast cancer care. When you go in for your chemo you are given a nurse for the day, and she looks after you. They're super resilient these women I mean, obviously they have to be.
When I was heading into chemotherapy, I think the vision I had was that it would be a very quiet, somber place. Oh, no! It's like, hi!, hi! Hi! it's bustly, people are laughing. I actually come away from my chemotherapy sessions feeling quite uplifted because the talk's very lively, and there's just this feeling of caring and concern.
I'm at the pointy end of the treatment now, and although I'm only having treatment every three weeks, the drugs that I'm having now are very heavy duty. I'm just holding my head above water with work.
I continue to turn up with full makeup, I'll put earrings on. And my eyebrows, which I draw on fastidiously every morning and sometimes I end up with like Groucho Marx and sometimes I end up looking like Twiggy. It just depends on my mood. People say to me, oh, gosh, she's looking so well. That helps me too because it's a bit of normality in a very abnormal situation.
Perspective is really important. Getting your head out of what might happen, and bringing yourself back to the present is really important. Counseling helps, right? Breast Cancer Foundation and the Cancer Society both fund counselling.
At the beginning, I was trying to be upbeat about it all the time. I'm not now. I acknowledge when I have down days, those are the days when my sister rushes around and gives me a foot massage.
Actually, for the last week, I felt really afraid of dying. Most of the time, I'm not, because I have faith. So it’s just like, I’ve got this job to do this year, which is an absolute shit job. But it will come to an end.
Boy, have I developed as a person and I'll continue to develop right to the end of this journey, whatever that looks like. Because it just forever changes you. Physically and mentally and emotionally. Spiritually. I've got people praying for me all over the world, and I believe that has made a difference."
- Kate
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Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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48.6% Yes
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49.4% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Here's Wednesday's whodunit!
I am heavy forward, but backward, I’m not. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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