Sadiqa’s Story

Breast cancer was not unfamiliar to Sadiqa. Long before her own diagnosis, she had witnessed it through her aunt’s experience—seeing her mastectomy scar and prosthesis at a young age. At the time, she didn’t fully understand the weight of that moment, but years later, it would come back with a different kind of clarity.

At 34 years old, just two months into her first attending role as a pediatric emergency medicine physician—and newly married—Sadiqa found a lump. It was her husband who encouraged her to get it checked, a decision that would ultimately change everything.

From there, everything moved quickly. Imaging, biopsy, diagnosis.

Breast cancer.

She moved straight into treatment—chemotherapy followed by a bilateral mastectomy, reconstruction, and years of hormone therapy. Like so many women, she found herself navigating not only the physical realities of treatment, but the emotional weight of what it meant to have her life interrupted so abruptly.

And then, slowly, life began again.

She became a mother to her daughter, Imani, stepping into a chapter filled with hope, joy, and a sense of normalcy she had fought hard to reclaim.

But years later, during her second pregnancy, things shifted again.

What started as back pain felt easy to explain away, but it became impossible to ignore. Imaging revealed that her cancer had returned—this time as metastatic breast cancer that had spread to her bones.

At 35 weeks pregnant, she delivered her daughter, Imara, so she could begin treatment immediately.

In that moment, everything felt both incredibly full and incredibly uncertain.

“I started following other women with metastatic breast cancer,” she shared. “Some of them I’ve never met, but seeing them live full lives gave me hope.”

That shift—seeing what was possible—became a turning point.

Today, Sadiqa is living with metastatic breast cancer, but she is also living a full and intentional life. She works full time, raises her daughters, and continues to show up for her life in ways that feel meaningful and grounded.

Her perspective has changed in a way that only an experience like this can shape.

“I’ve learned that nothing is guaranteed,” she says. “So I focus on what I have right now.”

That mindset has influenced everything—from how she approaches her health to how she spends her time. As a physician, she has always understood that life can change in an instant, but living through it herself made that truth deeply personal.

Now, she prioritizes what matters most. She sets boundaries, listens to her body, and protects her energy.

And most importantly, she stays present.

Her advice to others navigating a diagnosis reflects that same clarity.

“Lean into the present. There’s so much uncertainty, but there is still so much life happening right now.”

Sadiqa’s story is one of resilience, but also of perspective. It is a reminder that even in the face of uncertainty, there is still space for joy, connection, and meaning—and that sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is simply continue to live your life, exactly where you are.