Dog Tried to Warn Owner of Cancer for Months – Erva Niittyvuopio Encourages Others to Speak Out

Erva Niittyvuopio’s pet dog attempted to alert her to the breast cancer she was diagnosed with months later.

Niittyvuopio recalls that her dog would often lie on her chest in the months leading up to her diagnosis. She only understood the dog’s behavior after receiving the life-altering news.

“I now understand what my little dog tried to tell me,” Niittyvuopio said.

The diagnosis was difficult to accept. “I didn’t yet know what kind of disease it was. I just thought that now I am going to die,” she said. “We all die one day, but we don’t know when that day will come.”

Treatment began quickly, with numerous tests and scans. “So many images were taken that now even my soul has been photographed,” she joked.

Nearly one in two people will develop cancer at some point in their lives. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, while men most often develop prostate cancer.

Niittyvuopio emphasizes the importance of openness about the disease. “Diagnosis also involves some kind of shame, as if it were one’s own fault. I understand that it is difficult to talk about it. One should not be left alone. Everyone fears death, and it is okay to talk about that fear,” she said.

Niittyvuopio found strength in learning a new language during her treatment: she studied Koltta Sámi, a language with only around 300 speakers, as part of her university studies. “While studying, I didn’t think about anything else,” she said.

Niittyvuopio’s treatments are now behind her, and she looks forward to ordinary things like hiking in the mountains. She encourages others to talk about their struggles. “You can laugh and be happy. The patient looks forward to ordinary things. What the weather is like and if fish have come. If the patient is a reindeer herder, I believe they want to hear about reindeer life. It is important to feel that as a patient, you are still part of life.”

Source: Yle