“There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise.”- Bosa Sebele.At the age of 16, I had life-threatening complications with my colon and needed to undergo surgery. This teenager made it, but had to wear a colostomy bag ever since.
It is never easy to live with a colostomy bag. I had to constantly be aware of the state of the bag, checking for leaks, especially when I’m out of the house.
This took a toll on my life, especially when I went to college and faced bullying by fellow peers. People would hurl abusive comments at me such as, “You are smelly and disgusting. Don’t come near me.” I was also shunned by my college mates.
When I decided to publicly document my journey on social media to raise awareness, I received some backlash and hate comments that I was wearing a colostomy bag and was proud of it. Since those comments, my account was set to ‘private’.
At the age of 21, another hurdle was thrown at me. I was diagnosed with stage 2 thyroid cancer. The doctor gave me 2 years to live. At the diagnosis, I stopped studying and lost all hope that I was going to be able to live.
I fell into the dark pits of depression and came to the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) for counselling to help me through my cancer journey. I went on to become one of the pioneer members of the NCSM’s Young Cancer Survivors Group.
I’ve realised many things when I was challenged healthwise and mentally. It is a scary and rough ride. Both my stoma and thyroid cancer are hard to cope with. Some days are worse than others, especially during the festive season and celebrations.
In March 2023, I got married to the love of my life. My husband is really supportive of my journey battling these diseases.
I’ve learned to toughen myself, face the challenges and not to sweat the small stuff. I am my very own motivation. I have learnt to invest in myself and live by the quote carpe diem. The first step to fight cancer is to be happy. My willpower will be my medicine. I will not let cancer be my death sentence. I will fight and become stronger.
