Victoria Mindova
A true story of a true woman – the story of Gogo Mastrokosta about how she discovers she has breast cancer four days after she gives birth to her first child and the road of her rehabilitation. Gogo is famous to the Greek public as a singer and a sex symbol and for many years and enjoys the public love and affection. The beautiful woman with magnificent shapes, Gogo Mastrokosta meets the love of her life five years ago, the football player from the national team of Greece Trayanos Dalas. Journalists, microphones and cameras follow every step of the star couple. In the middle of 2007 rumors start that Gogo is pregnant, however nothing is officially confirmed. At the end of 2008 comes into the white world the little Victoria, a gift from God for Trayanos and Georgia (as Gogo’s real name is). After the birth of their first daughter the young mother disappears from the lights of the cameras. The public which follows the gossip columns in Greece believes that the happy couple prefers to enjoy their family bliss away from the attention of the media. The truth however is very bitter.
It all starts in 2007 when the rumors turn out to be correct and Gogo is really pregnant. During a standard doctor’s appointment, the gynecologist finds a small nodule in one of her breasts and sends the mother to be to a mammography. The specialist only runs a ultrasound test and says there is nothing to worry about. Everything seems normal when two months later Gogo loses the chilled. “Eight weeks after I was already calm that I would have no unpleasant surprises we went to the doctor. We couldn’t hear anything with the ultrasound. The little heart wasn’t beating in me,” writes in her story Mastrokosta. “How sick is that feeling – incapability to do the only thing which you are meant to do,” she admits.
A little while after the serious loss she manages to get pregnant again. “I turned out to be one of the lucky ones,” continues her story the young woman. This time everything seems to fine, the pregnancy goes on normally and in December 2008 the little Victoria is born. At the fourth day of the happy event few hours before the young mother and the child are discharged from the hospital a tragic news comes. While the doctor is giving advices to Gogo about how to breast feed the little baby he finds the old nodule, but this time enlarged. Seriously worried he sends her right away for a biopsy and the news is not good. She talks about the storm of feelings that are overtaking her when she starts to realize the seriousness of the situation: “I was alone and I started to cry constantly. I felt guilty of something which I was not responsible for. I was looking in Tray’s eyes and I was thinking how can I cause so much pain instead of the happiness that the man I love so much deserves.” Her story goes on with her discharge from the hospital when cameras and photographers have come to give the family their best wishes and congratulate them and to cover the story of their personal happiness. Nobody finds out what exactly is hiding behind the smile of the young mother. “I was scared to hug my little baby. I was scared that if I hug her close to me she will feel my pain and she will know that I probably won’t have the chance to raise her. She will feel my fear that wouldn’t be able to give her all my love while she is growing up.”
The confession of Gogo Mastrokosta touched and moved every woman in Greece. She talks about her surgery about the chemotherapy – every 21 days for six months, about her hair falling down, about her weakness, the hormone therapy after this, about the fear: “Everyone was telling me that I am strong and I will defeat the disease (probably to encourage me), but I felt like screaming.” Then she continues by telling how the man of her life gave her all his support and love during the treatment. At the end, after all the sorrow she went through, Gogo Mastrokasta comes out as a winner. Free from the cancer she decides to share her story with all the women from the pages of the fashion magazine Life&Style. She expresses her firm belief that everything in life has its logic and meaning. In this contest with the story of her misadventure Gogo turns to all the women from all ages to take care of themselves and not to underestimate the importance of the regular examinations.
Gogo Matrokosta received the title Woman of the year 2009 at the awards of the Life&Style magazine for the courage she showed not only for fighting with the cancer but also for coming and telling publicly her story. A story with a moral and a plea to every woman to be responsible to herself because otherwise we cannot take care of our beloved people if we are not around.