A breast cancer survivor from Abu Dhabi said the traumatic experience taught her to see life in a different light.
After battling the disease while living alone with her three daughters, Dr Radwa Helal said she is a different person.
She also overcame bouts of severe depression but her message to anyone diagnosed is one of hope.
When Dr Helal discovered a lump in her breast two years ago, she dismissed the idea of it being cancer.
“You expect it to happen to anyone but you,” said the 41-year-old paediatrician from Egypt.
I bought a wig and had it on the whole time, even under my hijab
When she voiced her concerns to her husband, a gynaecologist in Abu Dhabi, they hoped it was nothing serious.
One week later she woke up with a bigger mass in her underarm, so she knew she had to get tested. The results confirmed the worst.
“I used to work in Qatar and lived alone with my three daughters." Her husband, Khaled Omar, worked in Abu Dhabi and could not visit easily.
“My youngest [Sarah] was two-years-old, so it was very difficult," she said. Her other two were Mariam, who was 10 at the time, and Salma, 6.
“In the beginning, I was very practical and all my focus was on the treatment, which was not good because I did not give myself a chance to grieve and absorb the news.
“Now I tell people that sad feelings should be expressed at the time, because whatever gets bottled inside will eventually come out much worse."
Dr Helal was diagnosed in January 2018, and started chemotherapy in February. She underwent surgery in July and radiotherapy after.
Then she moved to Abu Dhabi to reunite with her husband in September of that year.
“I could not find a job in Abu Dhabi for around a year and I kept thinking ‘what’s next in my life?’
“The world started to narrow down in my eyes."
She said she could not function like before and she needed to “take a break and rest” frequently. It was a very difficult time.
Yet she said she had no regrets, because moving to Abu Dhabi was the right decision. “It was hard, but right.”
“I did not have the energy to stay alone with my children anymore. I wanted to be with my husband and they wanted to be with their father.”
But Dr Helal reached a turning point after six months.
“The support of family and friends helped me recover, especially the men in my life – my husband, my brother and father.”
She also started reading about the experiences of long-term survivors. "It helped a lot to see how life would be 10 years from now."
Dr Helal said breast cancer has also made her more considerate of other people.
“I don’t blame anyone for anything now, not even myself.
“I hope my words will be of benefit to others to understand that life goes on [with or without cancer]. It will not stop.”
During her treatment, Dr Helal managed to find practical ways to go on with her life without getting affected by the visible changes chemotherapy was causing.
“The toughest stage was losing my hair. I bought a wig and had it on the whole time, even under my hijab. I slept with it and only took it off when I showered.
“This may sound like a small thing, but it comforted me a lot, I was very happy with it and I changed its colour three times.
“I discovered there is a sophisticated industry for wigs that I knew nothing about it.”
She also became an expert in applying eyelashes and makeup to colour her eyebrows.
“When things got really tough, my happiest place to be was Sephora [the make-up store], where I bought all those products to feel better.
“I did not know much about make up before and now I am an expert. Many people could not tell that I had cancer because I filled the missing hair very well."
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
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Company%20Profile
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
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August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
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Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
