The month of October marks International Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which aims to raise awareness about the disease.
It also highlights the absolute need for women to check their breasts regularly and the importance of early detection in order to beat the disease.
One high-profile couple from the UAE, Salama Mohamed and Khalid Al Ameri, recently shared a video of their emotional meeting with a UAE resident who has been fighting breast cancer for the second time.
In the footage posted to Khalid’s Instagram page, the couple is seen meeting with Filipina mother-of-four Maria Vizcaya, who sells ‘Knock Out Cancer’ T-shirts in order to pay for her treatment and raise awareness about the disease.
The 42-year-old moved to the UAE 13 years ago in order to provide for her family, but due to the pandemic she was laid off from her job and now she’s battling her second bout of breast cancer.
She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, and after two rounds of chemotherapy, she had beaten the disease. However, in May of this year she was diagnosed for a second time.
Maria shared her story for the inspiration behind her T-shirts, insisting that “no one fights alone” and shared her confidence that she will beat breast cancer for the second time.
After hearing Maria’s story, Khalid and Salama gave Mary the ultimate surprise and gift – Dhs10,000 to invest in her T-shirts – a gesture which brought her to tears.
“Maria’s courage and willingness to keep fighting forever is an inspiration to us all, this is her story and message to the world,” Khalid said.
Salama also shared some footage of the meeting to her Instagram page.
“I have no words to describe how humbled and honoured I felt meeting this wonderful SUPERHERO @maryvizcaya77,” Salama wrote. “You are a true inspiration to so many people around you including myself.”
Salama, who has nearly 700,000 followers on the social media platform, thanked Mary for opening her home to herself and Khalid and encouraged the mother-of-four to “keep shining” through her breast cancer battle.
