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Life can sometimes be turned upside down by everyday gestures. For 38-year-old Lauriane Prevost, it was while taking a shower last May. The Saint Barth unconsciously reproduced a movement she had probably performed tens of thousands of times: running her hand under her armpit with soap, then sliding it over her chest. Suddenly, the hand freezes. So did her thoughts. A small lump appeared under her right breast. Flush against her skin. "I know my body well, so I knew right away that this wasn't normal," the young woman testified on Saturday October 25.
Lauriane Prevost is waiting two days. Just in case it goes away. But the lump was still there, and the woman who had just started training as a hypnosis practitioner in Paris made an appointment with a gynecologist. A mammogram and ultrasound were prescribed. "The doctors didn't see anything on the mammogram, so fortunately there was the ultrasound," recounts Saint Barth, who takes the opportunity to stress the importance of asking health professionals to carry out both tests, when in doubt.
Three days later, the diagnosis was made: stage 1 breast cancer. Lauriane Prevost immediately met an oncologist at the Institut Curie, specialized in research and senology. He told me the cancer was triple-negative," she recalls. In other words, it was one of the most aggressive. From then on, I had to act quickly and be treated as a matter of urgency. "
This meant starting chemotherapy on July 25. For Lauriane Prevost, this step was more complicated than the diagnosis itself. "As the disease was stage 1, I expected the doctors to be able to do otherwise," she confides with a sad smile.
Dance as therapy
The chain of events and the whirlwind of information about her condition plunged the young woman into a frenetic daily routine where she no longer had time to think. "I was alone, my family being in Saint Barth. So I had to act and make decisions. I wanted everything to be perfect before I started treatment. "This meant figuring out how to organize herself during the period when she would no longer be able to work.
Her work, in fact, is what enables her to get to know her body so well. "I'm a dance teacher. I've built my life around this passion. "For some years now, the professional has been blending choreography and spirituality. She enjoys repeating gestures in harmony, discovering the origin of a dance and linking her sport to the unconscious. I practice dance as therapy," she sums up cheerfully. It's what led me to hypnosis. "
The woman known to some on the island for her involvement in triathlons and swimming competitions never loses her infectious good humor. Even during the grueling treatment - for the first few months, the nausea is so bad she can't stand up - she remains positive. "I force myself to do things, to reach out to people. For example, I've joined several associations to inform myself and share what I'm going through with people who are going through it too. "An intimate observation helps her to move forward: "I've realized that I'm strong. "
Telling family and friends: the most difficult stage
There are a number of difficult stages in an already exhausting course of treatment. First, the announcement of the disease to family and friends. That was the hardest part, because you don't want to hurt other people," says the dancer. When friends started crying on the phone, I'd ask them to call me back. I could handle my own emotions, but I had trouble with those of others. "Lauriane Prevost began sharing her story on social networks. "I didn't want cancer to be taboo. It seemed normal to talk about it, especially as I was already publishing quite a lot about my travels and dancing. "Posts on Facebook and Instagram testify to her resilience and courage, while also raising awareness.
On October 26, a touching video appeared on her accounts. It shows her at the hairdresser's, shaving off her hair. "I wanted to do it before chemo could remove it, let it be my decision," she writes. Cancer affects the feminine attributes a lot," adds the young woman reached by phone. It's as if you're stripping yourself of a lot of things. It makes you question your own identity. "
Monthly self-palming as a preventive measure
Today, Lauriane Prevost has begun the second phase of her treatment. Chemotherapy sessions are less grueling. The Saint Barth has taken up sport again, and dances from time to time. Surgery to remove the tumour, but not the breast, is scheduled for January.
"If I had to give a few pieces of advice, the first is to remember to self-palm every month," says Lauriane Prevost. An instruction manual on how to do this will soon be posted on her Facebook page. "You also need to listen to your body and not ignore the signs. Sometimes we know ourselves better than the doctors. "And the dancer concludes with perhaps the most important thing of all: "Being well surrounded. Friends and family, but also people with the same disease. Because you need someone who really understands what you're going through and who can give you guidance. "
Follow Lauriane Prevost on social networks: Lauriane Prevost on Facebook and lolofreeflow on Instagram.
