Early detection really does save lives!

"I took a shower and felt what I'd describe as an indent in the bottom area of my left breast"

Michal Kay is a loving wife and a mother to two young boys. She is passionate about life and balances her family and professional role as a director through a positive outlook and leading a healthy lifestyle.

"Sometime in November 2021, I took a shower and felt what I'd describe as an indent in the bottom area of my left breast. At first, I thought it might have been from the underwire of my bra. I didn't think much of it at the time and the year was already winding down. So, I booked a routine check-up with my gynae after the December holidays," says Michal.

"After examining me, he wasn't too alarmed but insisted that I go for a mammogram to be certain, which is something I would normally do every two years or so. After my mammogram, I was called back in for a biopsy and on Monday, 31 January 2022, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Naturally, this came as a shock to me because I've always been quite a healthy person and didn't feel sick at the time. These things have a habit of coming from nowhere."

Michal was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), a type of breast cancer that starts in the milk ducts of the breast. Without early detection and treatment, it can spread through the lymph nodes or bloodstream to other areas of the body. Her biopsy showed a grade 2 IDC, which is an intermediate-grade cancer that grows at a faster rate than a low-grade cancer. Her treatment regime involved a lumpectomy (the removal of a tumour and its surrounding healthy breast tissue) and the removal of a lymph node under her arm. This was followed by one month of daily radiation treatment.

"Our whole world came crashing down"

A cancer diagnosis is often called a family diagnosis because it is an experience that changes the lives of all the family members.

"Our whole world came crashing down. It was a very hard time for our family emotionally, but my husband, Jonathan Kay, was very supportive through it all. I can't even imagine what he went through, but he kept it together the whole time. We still speak about what we actually went through today," says Michal.

"I had lost my mother three years before my diagnosis and going through this without her was very difficult. What also made this time even harder was losing my best friend, Hayley, to melanoma just five days before my surgery. To protect her from more emotional strain, I could not share my diagnosis with her. Hayley passed away not knowing about the battle with cancer that I had ahead of me."

Michal completed her radiation treatment course, but just as the side effects were tapering off and she thought she was in the clear, she got more disturbing news. This came after seeing her dermatologist for a regular check-up.

"After the rash that I had developed from my radiation subsided, I went to see my dermatologist in June 2022, and she found a suspicious-looking mole on my back. The mole was biopsied. It turned out to be malignant (cancerous) and had to be cut out."

"I could breathe knowing that at least financially, I could face this battle."

Michal is a Discovery Life client. "Discovery Life was amazing! My claims went through smoothly and I was 100% supported. When I got the call about my payout, it was such a relief. Financial pressure was the one thing I didn't have to worry about. Discovery Life really came through for me. Being diagnosed with cancer can be such a dark moment in your life but knowing that you're financially secure is a great help," says Michal.

"All those months and years that you put away money actually come through for you. Between my Discovery Life policy and my Discovery Health Medical Scheme cover , I felt completely supported financially - and relieved. I could breathe knowing that at least financially, I could face this battle.

"There are often bills that don't get paid and having two payouts through the Severe Illness Benefit on my Life Plan helped me financially, from every angle. I highly recommend having this benefit. It also helped to have professional financial advisers on board. Stuart and Jonathan from Kanan Wealth were great and took care of everything for me."

Early detection saves lives

"If I can get one message out there to both men and women, it's that early detection really does save lives! In my case, I had two completely unrelated tumours (breast cancer and melanoma) that were both thankfully caught in their early stages and dealt with. If there is something brewing, the sooner you find it, the sooner you can deal with it and the sooner you can move on," says Michal.