When you’re young, the last thing that goes through your mind would be cancer. We’re all guilty of thinking that an illness is something we will only catch during our golden age (amirite?!). We have dreams (and crushes) to chase and we would not be able to fathom a life riddled with an illness.
Wrong.
Cancer knocks on the doors of millennials too and it is only with early detection and treatment that they have a fighting chance against the illness.
We spoke to 4 young Malaysians recently on how they not only managed to beat the big C, but lived to tell the story too.
1. Halwatul Imam, 25
Halwatul Iman was only 5 when she was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a form of retina cancer. Her mother first noticed that her left eye’s pupil had a white tint to it, almost resembling a mirror and that was when they took her to an eye specialist. On July 7th, 1997, she underwent surgery to remove the cancer, along with her eyeball.
The degree holder in Multimedia now wears a prosthetic eye which becomes the source of queries, especially during her childhood days. “Some of them were afraid and some of them were amazed. I’m grateful that the disability is the fastest way to know who are my true friends,” Halwatul said.
When she was growing up, especially during her teenage years, Halwatul would often ask why she had to endure cancer. “It hurts to see other people with a pair of eyes,” she said. However, her family has always been her pillar of support, supporting her and accepting her the way she is.
Despite all that she has gone through, Halwatul bravely noted, “I realised that God chose me because He knows that I am stronger than others. I am special, I am unique and I am proud to be a cancer survivor.”
2. Emily Quek, 22
Just one day before her 21st birthday, Emily learnt that she was diagnosed with Lymphoma. The Monash University student first experienced persistent coughing for 2 months and when she checked it out at the doctor’s office, learnt that she had cancer.
“I didn’t feel like I was gonna die because I think that I’m fairly aware that there are ways to treat cancer and I didn’t want to jump to the worst possible conclusion. I was generally very positive and I hold on to my faith very strongly. Even though it sounded like something very scary, I wasn’t too concerned and I just waited for what the doctors had to say. As much as I thought that it was going to be a very long process, I knew that it would be okay eventually,” the 22-year-old Psychology and Economics student shared with Discover KL.
The hardest roadblock she endured was when she was in hospital for close to 3 weeks due to an infection. It was also a time when she started to lose her hair. “I’m generally not a very vain person and I was ready to shave my head and be bald. But I did not expect the process to be so emotionally scarring. I would take a shower and it would just be hair everywhere. For any girl, it would just be very horrific to see and I guess that was the lowest point in my whole journey,” she said.
Currently in remission, Emily said that she was thankful that she had a lot of support throughout her journey. “Of course, there were days when it was hard, going for chemo and my kind of chemo was the kind where I had to stay in the hospital per cycle. The biggest takeaway for me is that life is filled with things that are beyond your control. What really matters is how you choose to respond to it,” Emily said.
3. Giridhran Palani, 22
Giridhran was once a medical student (he now studies Biomedical Science) and he used to study about his illness in his course, not realising that it was something that could hit someone his age too. At the young age of 20, Giridhran found out that he had a form of nose cancer. One symptom that led to his diagnosis was a nose bleed. It was unusual as he did not have it during his younger age. He also experienced swollen lymph nodes around his neck which were quite prominent.
After receiving his diagnosis, Giridhran underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy and has since been in remission for the past 2 years. “I was previously studying medicine and was about to finish my first year but had to delay it. Then I had to change course to biomedical science because it was less stressful,” Giridhran said.
Prior to cancer, he was very active in sports and joined a lot of clubs in university. “When I was diagnosed with cancer, the treatment would keep me in isolation for a good 5-6 months. I couldn’t go out at all because of fear of infection and I couldn’t go and play sports because I would get tired really easily,” Giridhran said.
After being bedridden for a good 4-5 months after his treatment, he lost a lot of stamina and mobility. Now that he is slowly getting back to his full health, he is grateful that he is able to go out and lead a normal life.
“I think the biggest life lesson is just to be grateful for a lot of things, like I didn’t really know how appreciative I should be when I was playing sports and feeling so free. I’m now grateful that I’m able to go out and play sports normally, enjoy my time with friends and move around freely,” he told Discover KL.
4. Chung Yih Pei, 38
Yih Pei was pretty much like your average millennial. She was a workaholic who seldom exercised. Her life consisted of heading to work during the weekdays and spending time with her family once she got home. Life took a turn when at the age of 32, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“During treatment, I took 7 months of leave to let go of the workload stress, eat healthy, rest well, and exercise daily,” Yih Pei said. The now 37-year-old high school teacher finished up her treatment and went back to her day job, though life now looks drastically different when compared to before.
“I started joining some activities like dragon boat paddling, hiking, yoga, drawing and calligraphy. My life changed after cancer, I met many new friends and have a new perspective on life,” Yih Pei said.
After having gone through cancer, Yih Pei now finds the right balance in life and has time to work on herself, her job and also her family. “Life is very fragile, live with no regrets,” she told us.
Beating The Big C
A crucial element of beating cancer is early detection. One lesson from the stories above is that the illness knows no age nor background.
What you should do?
Catch the illness in its early stages and kick it to the ground before it has a chance to manifest.
How to do it?
One way to keep cancer symptoms under one’s radar is to sign up for a cancer screening which acts as an early detection test. KPJ Healthcare offers several forms of cancer screenings such as early detection tests, preventive screening tests and genetic screening tests.
Having the big C does not mean that one needs to sign their life away. Cancer can be fought and survivors come back stronger than ever before, as these 4 brave souls can be a testament to.
To sign up for a cancer screening with KPJ Healthcare, click here.
Feature Image Credit: Emily Quek, Giridhran Palani
