'Why I became an oncologist': UAE doctor talks of her moving experience at KT event

For Dr Aydah Al Awadh, it was an interaction with a patient during her days as a medical student that led her to becoming an oncologist.

“One day, my senior asked me to deal with a patient in the emergency,” she said. “When I walked in, there was a beautiful, young woman. She was also an Emirati and was in an advanced stage of breast cancer. I immediately connected with her on a personal level.”

Dr Aydah then learnt that the patient had young children. “She was almost in tears. She said she wished someone had told her to get checked up and spread some awareness. ‘Maybe, if I had got regular checkups, I might have diagnosed early and I could have been cured. Then I would not have had to leave my beautiful kids to be without a mother’,” the consultant medical oncologist recalled the woman's words.

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Dr Aydah said the mother’s pain moved her. But what really struck her was when the patient said she wished there were more female oncologists. “She said how much she wished there was a female doctor who she felt comfortable going to in regard to examination and being able to talk to. I could see her pain and that is when I decided that I wanted to be an oncologist.”

Dr Aydah was speaking at the ‘We The Women’ conference organised by Emmy-award nominated journalist Barkha Dutt, in association with Khaleej Times. The event, which took place in Dubai on Thursday, brought together women from various walks of lives to discuss several topics including wellness, emotional intelligence and social media.

Inspirational

During her session, Dr Aydah encouraged all women to get themselves examined for breast cancer and highlighted the importance of early detection and screening. She discussed the burden of breast cancer in the UAE and educated the audience about the signs and symptoms of the cancer.

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