Fear and guilt make a heavy burden. We simply don't need it.

Hello, my name is Athina Baroufi, I am 53 years old and a mother of three children.

In October 2019, quite by chance, I had to face lung cancer.

I will never forget my doctor’s words, when he he saw the medical results: ‘Athina, this is a one-way street.”

Shock and denial were the first emotions I felt.

I was in a panic, I couldn’t accept it. I didn’t want to know any details. . I just wanted cancer to leave my body. To disappear. I just wanted to move on with my life. To be there for my kids.”

A good friend took me by the hand and together we went to see  a pulmonologist.

I trusted him and we proceeded with surgery. A third of my right lung was removed as well as my lymph nodes.

“When I woke up in the room, I saw my family behind the protective glass. They were all crying with joy. It was a great, unforgettable feeling.”

It’s been a long time since then, I’m moving on with my life, doing my checkups and viewing things differently.

I get psychological support which is a balm to me.

I am gradually learning to hold on to everything that matters and shed the irrelevant.

I have smoked for many years and unfortunately I have recently started smoking again. But I now feel it more as a burden and have decided to seek smoking cessation therapy.

“Lung cancer stigma associated with smoking is something I experience daily through my guilt.

It is also preserved by society.

Everyone who feels the stigma does not need to carry any further guilt. He doesn’t need extra trouble. He already has a major issue to deal with. Cancer.

It is an added burden for us all, who are struggling to cope with the disease and find balance in our lives. Within ourselves and within our family.