Nov 15 Welcome speech
Yang bahagia Ketua Pengarah, Perpustakaan Negara, Dato Nafisah Ahmad, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen.
Terima kasih dan Selamat datang.
***Great morning to you all.
I am very encourage by your presence despite the unfavourable weather. Give yourself a round of applause. Please tell your neighbours that they are truly awesome.***
On this beautiful morning I am here to launch my book, Cancer my wake up call. I am James oh, the author of the book. I am also the founder of Lift You Up, a training entity specialising in finance, value creation and thinking skill.
It is a great joys to share this memorable event with you. Thank you for taking your valuable time to be here.
When I was first diagnosed with stage 3 stomach cancer, I went around searching for a book on it but I couldn’t find any that I could relate to. That was when the idea was mooted. As I progressed into my chemotherapy treatments the side effects were becoming more and more intense.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Many of you must be wondering If you are suffering how then can you write? Yes I was suffering but I also needed to divert my mind from the numbness-in my limbs, itchy scaly skin, nausea, vomiting, bleeding and so on. Thus in the midst of my chemotherapy I embarked on this book.
I decided to share my experience as it was still fresh in my mind, hoping that it will give some pointers and tips to my fellow sufferers as well the general public.
Even when my mind was hazy from the toxins of chemotherapy, I was aware of my social obligation. I wanted to show the community that even though I am a cancer patient. I Still Care!! I made up my mind if my book is ever published, I will donate a small portion of the sales proceeds to the cancer community.
My dear fellow sufferers, let us stand high and make the world a better place. Do not let this illness bring us down. Explore and see how we can contribute. The world does not end with cancer. It is just
a temporary setback.
Once again please allow me to extend my heartfelt thanks to PN n all of u who are present today. Your presence means a lot to me.
Thank you PN for your generosity for providing the venue as well as the delicious meal.
Before I leave this stage, I would like to leave this advice
Cancer does not kill
Early detection will save your life!!!
Hearty welcome
Pages
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Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Sunday, November 18, 2018
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.
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.