Michelle+S.

This is Sophie Dangtran, a breast cancer survivor. In the interview she tells us of her experience against the disease that has killed thousands of women world wide. media type="file" key="interview with sophie.mp3" **Survivor: Judith Jaegermann **

It all started when I was seven living in Karlbad. I knew I was different from my neighbors but I had no clue why. I tried to figure it out but no one would tell me. Then one day my dad whispered to me, “It’s because we’re Jews.” For a minute I was confused, but all of as sudden, everything clicked and made sense. From then on, our situation got worse. We ended up having to flee from the Germans to Prague. Once in Prague, we had to wear the yellow star of David which made me feel like I was being discriminated against. Just like everyone else, I knew that if I complained then I would get severely punished. We weren’t allowed to leave our house after 8pm and we could only ride in the last carriage of the tramway.

About five weeks later, we received a notice in the mail saying that our family had to be at the Exhibition Hall in Prague to join a transport (going to the concentration camps). We arrived at the Exhibition Halls and the first thing we did were roll-calls. I remember one time when a German soldier scared me so much during a roll-call that I fainted. I became very skittish and shy after that, I didn’t want to do anything to give them a reason to torture me. After that, my family and I were sent to a different area in Prague where we were separated. My sister, Ruth, and I were sent to a children’s home. I cried everyday because I couldn’t bear the pain of being away from my parents. Eventually, I escaped and went straight to the room where my mom was. My father was working as a cook at the Hanover barrack stand so he would bring us Potatoes sometimes.

There were rumors going around that a train was to leave for Auschwitz concentration camp one day. This of course made me really scared. Sometimes I heard my mother and father talking about what goes on at those camps. Gassing, killing and torturing people, who would want to go there? Low and behold we had to board a train the next day. The destination? Auschwitz. Upon arrival, they separated the men, women and children. My mother, my sister, and I were allowed to stay together but we ended up not seeing my father for a couple days. A couple hours after arriving, we were no longer considered humans but numbers instead.

In the end, I was the only person out of my family who survived. Throughout the whole war, my mother was my guardian angel. The terrors of the holocaust will live on forever.

Interview Questions: Sophie Breast Cancer Survivor:
When were you diagnosed with breast cancer? What was your initial reaction after being diagnosed? What was the treatment like? How is your view on life different now? Who were the family members who supported you the most?