Breast cancer awareness month: a young survivor on the importance of healthy living and early detection
- Annie Lee saw a doctor after finding a lump on her breast and was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. She was just 31 years old
- The investment banker was shocked to discover that her unhealthy lifestyle and stress were risk factors for breast cancer
It took a lump discovered during a shower for Annie Lee On-nei to see a doctor in mid-2015. An ultrasound, mammogram and biopsy followed. A stock trader at an investment bank, Lee did not suspect a cancerous growth; she was just 31 at the time. She went back to the doctor alone to learn the biopsy result.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer to afflict Hong Kong women. The Hong Kong Cancer Registry recorded 4,373 cases of invasive breast cancer in 2017, an increase of 6.5 per cent from the previous year’s 4,108 cases. The median age of sufferers is 57.
With no family history of the illness, Lee was stunned by the biopsy result. She knew hers was not a particularly healthy lifestyle. A confessed workaholic, she began work at 8am and sometimes left the office at 11pm. She eschewed exercise and was a fan of chocolate, fast food including burgers, and potato chips.
“When stressed, you really want to eat something bad for your body,” she says.