Cancer : My Wake Up Call

Once again my heartfelt thanks to PN and all who present today

Yang berbahagia Dato Nafisah Ahmad, Ketua Pengarah , ladies and gentlemen
Once again my heartfelt thanks to PN for hosting my book launch.

Allow me a few minutes to share my journey to battle Cancer. Will I be victorious? Time will tell

Ladies and Gentlemen,
How do you perceive Cancer? Is it a demoralizing and destructive illness? How many of you think it is? Please raise your hands.
How many of you think otherwise?

One of my worst nightmare was on July 24 2017 when I was told I had the big C... of the stomach after undergoing endoscopy. Imagine my dismay and desperation!!! Prior to the diagnosis I had consulted my family doctor when I began to have bloating, loss of appetite, tiredness and stomach discomfort. However, the doctor assured me that everything was alright and prescribed me gastric reflux medication. He neither referred me to a specialist nor advised me to do an endoscopy.

Now, I like to share with you some tips I have undertaken to counter the side effects of my surgery and 12 cycles of chemotherapy successfully despite experiencing a very bad start.

1. Stay positive and calm
To battle against this fearful illness, I need to stay positive and calm especially when I was having nausea and vomiting terribly during my first chemotherapy. It was like going through hell. I was very frustrated and felt like giving up. I was unsure whether chemotherapy was going to cure me or kill me with it’s toxins. I am glad that I am able to stay calm n positive at this crucial time

I have no clue as to how to overcome it as I can’t find anyone with similar type of cancer with the same treatment to explain to me what lies ahead.

I had to go through the trials and tribulations on my own n with guidance from God.

On another occasion, the increased dosage of Xeloda led to a drop in my platelet count n caused bleeding when I passed motion as the blood could not clot. I was calm enough and managed to contact all the relevant experts for their appropriate advice.

2. Beef up and not give up
When I opted for surgery to remove part of my stomach, I thought that was the end of my problem. Of course I still had to go for chemotherapy. I only realised later that t functions of t other organs of my body would be affected as a result of t surgery. Surgery was the best option to remove t tumour. To ensure my body can function properly, I had to cultivate proper eating habits, proper diet and have sufficient intake of vitamin and minerals such as Vitamin B 12, iron, calcium and Folate. These supplements had to be either taken orally or injected regularly.

3. Look at it from the right perspective.
This was exactly what happened to me when I was told by the doctor that I had the big C....I was not ready to accept the diagnosis at that time. Calm yourself to have sufficient confidence to deal with any issue that may arise. This is where I need to draw on my past success to boost up my confidence level.

4. Be open and never limit your mind especially when you are faced with endless challenges. The cumulative side effects of chemotherapy came one after another. To survive, I had to explore all the possibilities like alternative treatment such as daily prayers, bagua qigong and Detox diets to continue the battle with more confidence. I don’t believe that we can live without hope.

I was fortunate enough to have a caring wife, siblings, friends and Cell group members who constantly urged me to stay positive and through prayers. Never isolate yourself, but seek external help if possible such as Hospis (A NGO body which offers help to cancer patients) or share with other cancer survivors

Lastly, I believe I was well guided by God who enable me to survive the darkest days of my life

I have two fold intentions for this book. First, to share my insightful experience with my fellow cancer patients with the intention to offer them an inspiration and view this adversity as a bend, not the end. Always remember there is no rainbow without a storm, as reflected in the book cover.

Secondly, it is to donate a small portion of the sales proceed to the cancer Community through book sales, as a living proof that we can live independently and financially through our labour of love. Let us unite together and turn this adversity into an opportunity.

It further affirms; the big C ....cannot cripple love, It cannot shatter hope, It cannot corrode faith, if you decide to choose it as an inspiration as I did.

Thank you so much for listening.