A Journey to Recovery

We all had that moment, a wake-up call that changed our perspective, habit and behaviour. Some had to go through a major loss or even a near-death experience in order to appreciate the little things that we usually take for granted. For Ms ***h, her wake-up call was when she discovered a lump in her breast and was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 36.

   “When the doctor broke that news to me, I couldn’t help but ask “Why me?“ I was sad, shocked and in disbelief, that I had to repeatedly ask “Why me?”. Later on, I had to go through surgery, followed by 6 times of chemotherapy and 15 times of radiotherapy,” she said.

   Despite her fears, she was determined to fight. During her recovery, Ms ***h had a self-reflection on her lifestyle and realised that she had been too busy to pay attention to her health. She admitted always eating out and not making healthy choices, especially in an office environment. Let’s admit it, takeout and fast food is not the best option. It is tasty but has less or no nutritional value as it is high in sugar, salt, saturated or trans fats, and many processed preservatives and ingredients. Yet, most of us opted for this because they’re quick and easy to get.

   “The journey to get better was not a walk in the park. I always vomited during chemotherapy sessions. The first two days were worse because I continued vomiting at home in the middle of the night. I’m so thankful that my mother was there during my hard times. She took care of me, only cooked steamed food and ensured I had a healthy diet,” said Ms ***h.

   Cancer has transmuted her outlook on life. It has changed her for the better as she learned to be grateful for her health, not sweat the small stuff, becoming more confident and happier in life.

   If there was one thing she wishes she knew or would’ve done differently, was to learn more about cancer before her diagnosis; what are the early signs or symptoms.? What kind of changes should we look out for.? How can we reduce ourselves from getting cancer.?

   “Nobody wants to get sick let alone cancer. Since I went through it, I would advise all women to go for regular health check-ups. Early detection allows us to assess the situation for prevention before it gets worse,” she said.

   Ms ***h also added that genetic testing is just as important as it is the window to our medical and healthcare. Which is why she’s glad that Cancer Research Malaysia offers this service because she believes more genetic testing needs to be done as Asians are born with different genetics and raised in a different environment. Therefore, it affects the kind of treatment we received as patients.

   Looking for a miracle drug to cure cancer is not an overnight job and definitely not a one-person show. It takes years of hard work and research by a group of resilience scientists. Ms ***h believes that we can play our part by volunteering ourselves to be tested (when needed or required) for research as it will help the scientists gather more data that will hopefully lead to better discoveries.

Now living as a cancer survivor, she is filled with gratitude, emerged stronger and more appreciative of life. Even though the thought of cancer returning is always at the back of her head, she continues to stay positive, live life to the fullest and never give up hope.

It takes more than a village to find the solution, it also requires patience, talent, effort, time and energy. Every cent counts and it helps with our ongoing cancer research.