What does the average mammography centre have in common with your favourite spa? You’re right – very little. But what if that could change?
That’s the question Sam Schoub asked herself when she joined forces with her ex-husband, Peter Schoub, to establish Melrose Arch Mammography (MAMI) – and, while she acknowledges that going for a cancer screen is never going to produce the same anticipatory delight, she believes that there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be swaddled in comfort, with your every need taken care of. More than that, the experience may even be able to teach you something about wellness and taking care of yourself.
“The idea is that we remove the element of fear and dread that put so many people off going for a mammogram,” Sam explains, adding that this sense of apprehension might account for the fact that only 20 per cent of South African women covered by medical aid take up their screening benefits. That frustrates her, because early detection changes outcomes dramatically – especially since, according to CANSA, breast cancer will affect one in 27 women.
More frustrating still is the fact that many women put health screens on hold, placing the wellbeing of their friends and family above their own. “This kind of thinking is especially worrying to me, because the reality is that we have far greater capacity to care for people when we are taking care of ourselves. It’s the principle of putting your own oxygen mask on first,” Sam says.
And she should know. Sam admits that she fell victim to this thinking for several years, until the stress of “doing things as I was told they should be done, rather than how I knew within my core was right” took a significant toll on her health. She struggled to sleep, suffered from severe inflammation, experienced chronic IBS and erosive gastritis, and with 20 polyps removed from her colon by the time she was 40, was almost certainly headed for stomach cancer.
What Sam found most mysterious about her condition is that she was doing everything right – or so she thought. In truth, she was stuck in a life thick with stress. Although she had started her career in recruitment, she had moved into bookkeeping when she realised that job search wasn’t for her. Initially self-taught, she proved to have an innate flair for figures, and was eventually offered a job at an accounting firm. Then, after a brief hiatus (during which she had hoped to regenerate the energy and wellbeing she knew was sorely lacking in her life), she joined a global commodities trading firm, working her way to become senior trade accountant.
Sam was helping her then husband, Peter, balance the books at his own growing practice. Peter had started out with a series of x-ray machine installations at various doctors’ rooms around Johannesburg before setting up his own practice at the Park Lane Clinic, where he was finally able to explore his growing interest in breast radiography. He soon established himself at the forefront of the field, becoming an industry leader, introducing MRIs to breast radiography and earning accreditation from the American College of Radiology. But just helping out wasn’t sustainable, especially since Sam was already working 12-hour days while raising two daughters – and so she left her career to become a full-time partner in the practice.
That’s when things started to change – and all because of a cup of coffee. “Because my commute to work changed, so did my coffee stop. And that’s how I came to meet people who would come to be instrumental in my life,” Sam says. The first of these was Trevor Waller, a logotherapist – or, simply put, a therapist who is trained to help people find meaning in life. Trevor introduced Sam to mindfulness, and her daily practice set her on a path of discovery. “While I was battling poor health, I kept thinking to myself there has to be a way out of this. And there was – it just wasn’t as simple as I had imagined.” Instead, it entailed deep diving into a range of modalities, from gene keys to meditation, that helped Sam develop a mental toolbox which she uses, even today, to maintain her equilibrium.
The coffee shop also put her in contact with Craig Lurie, who came on board to assist with high level financial issues – and who ultimately went on to jointly found MAMI with Sam and Peter.
It was after the centre was established that Sam decided to make her toolbox available to its visitors through Wellness Within, a hub which aims to connect people who are searching for answers, with people whose services may help.
Sam explains that the platform expands all the time. Whenever she meets someone whose ethos resonates, she adds their details to the hub, resulting in a portal where people are able to access multifaceted advice about wellbeing. Importantly, many of the featured providers have donated vouchers which are freely available to clients at MAMI. At the same time, pamphlets distributed around the centre make it possible to scan wellness-related podcasts, again linked to Wellness Within.
This relates, once more, to Sam’s mission to turn the annual mammogram into something more than a dreaded duty. “The idea is that this could become an opportunity to learn something new. I’m not saying it will change your life, but imagine if you encountered information that changes your viewpoint just a little – and that, in turn, encourages you to change your behaviour.
“I know what it’s like to wish that someone could throw you a lifeline – and I hope that, for someone out there, Wellness Within might just be that lifeline.”
Details: mammogram.co.za, wellness-within.co.za
Personal tips for achieving wellness within
• Start with podcasts – learn different points of view, expand what you believe is possible and draw on the inspiration of others.
• The value of meditation can’t be overstated. You don’t have to sit in lotus position for hours, just take two minutes to get out of your thoughts.
• I like to take a slow morning. I create time for myself by waking up before anyone else.
• I wait a while before hopping on the phone. If you check out your messages first thing, you’re letting in the chaos before you’ve gathered your thoughts. And I avoid social media as far as possible – it’s the quickest way to make yourself feel inadequate.
• I check in with my body. Any aches or pains are a story your body is telling you, so take a minute to reflect on what might be happening inside you.
Article by Lisa Witepski. Photo: Leigh Benson Photography, @leighbensonphotography on Instagram.
