(Michelle Butterfield, Alyssa Julie/ Global News) — Hilary Boswell was diagnosed with breast cancer just days ahead of her 40th birthday.
“I was in some of the best shape of my life. My body had never been more fit or looked better.”
Her cancer diagnosis would quickly change that. A unilateral mastectomy — a surgery she didn’t necessarily want but felt pressured into by her surgeon — would leave the Calgary woman with one breast. Add that to the hair loss from chemotherapy and other side effects from cancer treatment and Boswell says it felt like she was staring back at a stranger in the mirror.
“I definitely was in love with myself before,” she told Global News. “I don’t think I will ever look at myself the same or ever love what I see, like I did before.”
It’s a familiar story for the thousands of young Canadian women diagnosed with cancer each year. (…)