A Labasa woman could not look at herself in the mirror as she was scared of the changes to her physical appearance caused by cancer.

40-year-old Reshmi Devi this week shared her story during the Bank of the South Pacific’s morning tea where victims and survivors were hosted.

Devi says she was disheartened at first when diagnosed with cancer, however, having the support of loved ones is key to recovery.

“My partner was always there, he used to console me when my hair started falling, I used to cry and I used to close the room and I used to cry then he said don’t worry your hair will come back”.

Devi is currently going through her final lap of treatment, saying she regretted her late presentation as she wasted time on discovering other ways to cure her sickness.

Labasa Hospital Surgeon Dr. Scott Buadromo says more awareness around cancer is still needed.

“You still have a good chance of survival, treatment can go up to 50 -80 percent of survival rate and then of cause the late presenters which is what we normally get here in Fiji because of our cultural treatment or herbal remedies.”

Dr. Buadromo is calling on Fijians to talk openly about cancer as it helps build awareness.

Meanwhile, this month marks Movember to raise awareness of men’s health issues.