Jamaica Hospital physician refl ects on cancer journey,
encourages women to get mammogram screening
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
When Dr. Sabiha Raoof,
who is the chair of the Radiology
Department of Jamaica
and Flushing Hospital,
discovered her own breast
cancer diagnosis when she
did her first mammogram
screening 16 years ago, she
was in denial.
Raoof was 40 years old
when she was diagnosed
with stage 1A breast cancer
in August of 2006. In stage
1A, the cancer is evident, but
it is contained to only one
area where the first abnormal
cells began to develop,
according to the National
Breast Cancer Foundation.
“I looked at my own mammogram
and diagnosed my
cancer. As a mammographer,
I must’ve seen hundreds of
cancers until then, and seeing
it myself, I said, ‘Am I
reading it incorrectly?’ I had
that denial that it cannot be
me,’” said Raoof, who is also
the chief medical officer of
the Medisys Health Network.
“I have no family history
of breast cancer and I live a
pretty healthy and active lifestyle.”
As a physician, Raoof
knew what needed to be done
following her diagnosis.
This time, she was on the
other side of the fence, being
treated as a patient.
Raoof immediately took
action and scheduled a surgery
undergoing a double
mastectomy to remove the
cancer. She then did reconstruction
surgery
and went through eight
cycles of chemotherapy
for six months, followed
by taking medication
and visits to her
oncologist.
“I was glad that my
family and friends were
able to guide me and
help me make decisions
because
everyone is a
phys i c i an,”
Raoof said. “I
had a tremendous
amount of
support. I knew exactly
where to look and what
I needed to do.”
Having gone through the
process of being diagnosed
with breast cancer and treating
the disease, Raoof, who
is now 56, says it’s important
to stay positive and strong
throughout the journey.
Dr. Sabiha Raoof, chair of the Radiology Department for Jamaica and Flushing Hospital. Photo courtesy of Jamaica Hospital
“The word cancer is so
nerve wracking, even as a
physician when I initially
found my cancer.
It was difficult
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.26 COM | OCT. 15 - OCT. 21, 2021
to grasp
and digest
that it’s
happening
to
me. No
cancer is
good, but
if you have
breast cancer
it is one of those
diseases that
we have made
a significant
a d v a n c e -
ment in
treatment
t o d a y , ”
Raoof said.
“I am not saying
it’s easy. It
does take part of your life,
but you have to have an ‘I will
beat this’ attitude and move
on with your life.’”
While she had a tremendous
amount of support from
her colleagues and family,
Please go for your regular mammogram checkups. I
had my routine physical and I did not feel it. Neither
did my physician. Once you have the diagnosis, stay
strong and positive and take all of the help that is
Raoof says she cannot imagine
how difficult it must
be for people outside of the
healthcare system to navigate
those services in order to
receive treatment.
As a physician serving a
multi-ethnic community in
Queens, Raoof says cultural
needs and language barriers
are also hurdles that patients
have to get through in order
to get the best possible care.
“We have to educate patients
because the taboo
about breast cancer still exists
in some cultures, and
how can we navigate that
because some patients don’t
want to accept that they have
cancer and don’t want anyone
to know they have breast cancer,”
Raoof said.
After experiencing her
own journey, Raoof said it
has changed her perspective
on what her patients have to
endure, such as navigating
services to seek treatment.
“For my physician colleagues,
I would say that we
really need to put ourselves
in the shoes of our patients
to be able to relate to what
they’re going through and
to be sensitive when we are
discussing these issues with
them,” Raoof said.
Raoof stressed the importance
of women doing routine
mammograms, which can
help save lives, she said.
“Please go for your regular
mammogram checkups. I
had my routine physical and I
did not feel it. Neither did my
physician,” Raoof said. “Once
you have the diagnosis, stay
strong and positive and take
all of the help that is out there
for you.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–
4526.
out there for you.
Dr. Sabiha Raoof
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