NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- Miyabi Kuroiwa, from Nagoya, central Japan, was 26 when she was diagnosed with stage-4 breast cancer.

In October 2022, she was taking a bath when she noticed a lump in her left breast. After a doctor's exam revealed her spreading cancer, Miyabi sat stunned while her grandmother, who had accompanied her to the hospital, wept inconsolably.

Fast forward to today and Miyabi is participating in a project that invites cancer patients like herself to serve as online advisers to others in their battle against the disease.

"Cancer does not equal unhappiness. I want to tell people that they don't have to give up on marriage and love," she says.

Her husband Taisei, whom she was still dating when she got the news, left work early and rushed to be at her side. In front of Miyabi and her grandmother, he says he thought "the one thing I can do is become her family and support her."

Taisei proposed on the spot. They began living together at Miyabi's home from the next day and registered their marriage in November of the same year.

Cancer cells had spread throughout her body and surgery at the university hospital was not an option, so she was transferred to the Aichi Cancer Center in Nagoya. Her doctor tried encouraging her, saying, "For now, let's fight for you to live for five years." In January 2023, she started anticancer treatments.

Prepared for the side effects of hair loss, Miyabi had her head shaved. Devastated by the loss of her long hair, she was reminded of being a cancer patient whenever she looked in the mirror.

Miyabi gained 15 kilograms due to stress among other factors. Unable to bear the intense pain from side effects, she increased her pain medication dosage. She began to feel sorry for herself.

The turning point came when she posted on X about cancer. Miyabi began to receive words of support such as, "I hope you get better," and "Don't give up."

"I didn't know their faces," she said, "but they were rooting for me. I felt I had to respond."

She decided to do the things she wanted, and between treatments, she and her husband traveled, went to live performances and took an attitude of enjoying life to the fullest. She also began posting about her everyday life on X.

Then an offer came from a YouTuber to become an online adviser for cancer patients, and Miyabi accepted. It is set up to allow users of the service to talk one-on-one with cancer patients and others and hear about their experiences.

"Illness is not everything in life. Let's do what we can do and what we want to do now. That's what I want to tell people," she said.

Her tumor has gotten smaller, but each time the cancer cells develop resistance to the anticancer medications, Miyabi is forced to switch to a new drug regimen. There is a limit to the drugs that she can use, and her anxiety grows. Even so, she has not given up.

"My husband can't stand being alone. I wonder what would happen to him if I were gone. That's why I feel so strongly that I have to live," she said with a smile.

By Atsushi Takeda