Daiana Menezes is known for being a lot of things: an actress, a host, a singer, a performer, and a model. But what not many know is that she is a cancer survivor.
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It was Valentine’s Day of 2018 when Daiana came face to face with death after being diagnosed with breast cancer triple positive stage 2b. She had gone for a check-up the month before, prior to flying to Dubai to do a series of shows there, because she had felt a lump on her right breast. She didn’t feel at all ill and the lump hardly scared her—she just wanted to clear her conscience and kick off her 2018 feeling 100%.
Never would she have thought she’d get a surprise of her life.
“There’s not a particular degree of difficulty that we can put in words when you get diagnosed with cancer. No matter what type, your world just seems to fall apart,” Daiana says. But she knew she had no choice but be strong—not only for herself but for her family.
It’s one of the reasons why she was resolved to keep her condition private from friends and the public. “I didn’t want people’s opinion to distract me from my treatment. You gotta stay positive for the best result,” she shares.
She underwent a lot of treatment and had to adapt to a completely new diet even though she was already eating healthily. She went through weekly IVs, hyperthermia treatment, ozone therapy, infrared sauna, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
What kept her going was her fervent faith in God, in herself, and in her healing. “I know this is kinda cliche, but staying positive and believing [your healing will] work, is key,” she says. And, most importantly, she didn’t let her condition stop her from working.
(ALSO READ: INSPIRING: Cancer survivor becomes a licensed doctor)
“Of course for like 15 days I was kinda healing from the surgery, but after 2 weeks I was already on stage!” enthuses the 32-year-old singer.
Fast forward to 2019 and she is now enjoying her road to full recovery. And despite having beaten the odds against cancer, she refuses to brand herself as cancer-free.
“I don’t believe in being cancer-free and I mean that positively,” she explains. “I just believe all of us can have cancer a few times in our lives if our immune system is down or if our body is not prepared. If it happens, [you have to] find out early and why.”
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She says that knowing the reason behind your illness is crucial in changing your life for the better. “Mine is for sure [because of] stress, puyat (not sleeping well), pagkain (food),” she tells us. “I had to get rid of all that and restructure my life.”
With a new lease on life, Daiana is determined to pursue her dreams without hesitation. “I [have now] learned how precious our time in this lifetime is,” she says. “I’ll keep on doing what I love, performing on stage, singing, hosting, making my advocacies (such as HIV Awareness) known, and if I can, inspire other people to never give up!”
To everyone who is going through or went through this similar situation, Daiana has this inspiring message to share:
“Cancer can be scary, I know it is, at first. But I would love to tell you that you do have a chance. You also do have a choice on your treatment (if you’re going through the same thing, you know what I mean).”
“Find out what you have been doing in your life that needs to be changed. Usually, it’s a complete lifestyle change. I did it. So you can also do it,” she ends.
(ALSO READ: This Stage 4 Cancer Warrior’s Music Career Inspires Others To Fight For Their Dreams No Matter What)
Learn more about her story in the video below:
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