SHARES
These heartwarming cancer survivor stories are an inspiration. It tells of triumphs against the odds. This story is from a young woman Kristal, sharing with you her personal journey in GetDoc’s featured real-life cancer survivor stories.
Every little girl dreams of walking down the aisle in the perfect white dress, marrying her Prince Charming, then living happily ever after. However, seeing that fantasy come alive may be a luxury for some. Our cancer survivor, Kristal, discovered ovarian cancer struck two months prior to her wedding. Her life was never the same after that.
For the next 2-3 years, Kristal went through a series of scans, biopsies, surgery, chemotherapy and TCM treatments, only to find out later that cancer has spread to the endometrium. On the verge of waiting on death, she took a chance with Dr Tay Miah Hiang at OncoCare Cancer Centre. Miraculously, treatment with a novel and unconventional cancer therapy by Dr Tay saved and granted Kristal another chance at life.
Cancer Survivor Stories – The Shock of a Cancer Diagnosis
“I received the shocking diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 2012 through a regular health check, just 2 months before the wedding,” said Kristal. She was 28 years old, and an expectant bride with a new life ahead of her. Suddenly, her life quickly took a drastic turn when her pelvic ultrasound discovered a cyst of 8 cm in her right ovary.
Kristal sought opinions from a few Gynaecologists. “Doctors told me that I might have a chocolate cyst, or a blood cyst (common name). Since it is made up of liquid, it should appear as a dark shade in the ultrasound. But, mine had a mix of dark and light shades, which is a bad sign.” The next steps were taking a frozen section for a quick biopsy to determine the presence of cancer cells.
On 3rd December, Kristal was wheeled in for the operation, which confirmed the presence of cancer cells. Furthermore, the diagnosis was ovarian cancer stage 1C because of ovary rupture. The surgeon removed her appendix and omentum as well due to concerns for metastatic cancer cells. “The doctor recommended chemotherapy as there could be microscopic cancer cells left behind. I went through my wedding 10 days after the surgery. Then, the chemotherapy started in January 2013, the following year. The treatment plan was to six cycles of chemotherapy, but I only managed to do five cycles due to intolerable side effects,” she explained.
A Brief Reprieve
During early 2014, Kristal was given the green light to start a family after more than six months from the last chemotherapy. The doctor’s intention was to pursue total hysterectomy after having children to prevent cancer relapse. “We started to try for a baby. I ended up going back to the doctor because of spotting.” Indeed, a cone biopsy found pre-cancerous CIN 3 cells on the cervix. The appointment for follow-up was three months later.
As the three-months mark arrive, Kristal returned for appointment, this time with an MRI scan. A tumour had formed at the cervical area where the pre-cancerous cells were first found. Total hysterectomy had become the only option to remove cancer completely.
“I did not want to enter the cycle of battling cancer by cutting myself up every time cancer hits. Therefore, I sought less invasive alternatives,” she painfully recalls. For the next two years, she managed her condition with Traditional Chinese Medicine by receiving acupuncture and herbal remedies. She also opted for treatment in Bangkok, Thailand for two months. Although her condition was under control with these treatments, the mounting medical bills were becoming increasingly difficult to afford.
Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
“After about six months from my last treatment, I started experiencing excruciating pain. There would also be episodes of unpredictable, heavy bleeding. Once, I was on the MRT when I started bleeding heavily. It was so bad that it was uncontainable by pads and I ended up dripping in blood instead. My social life was reduced to none as it became impossible to leave the house without the fear of embarrassing myself, “ recalled Kristal. Eventually, she was admitted to the hospital due to unbearable pain.
Further investigations revealed that the tumour has spread to the pelvic cavity. The tumour was pressing on the sciatic nerve, which led to the pain. Doctors made the diagnosis of cervical cancer stage 4C. “I have reached the stage where treatments will be futile. Chemotherapy will not help me anymore. I was left to choose between quality or quantity of life. Then, I was referred to palliative care, and was started on morphine to help manage the pain,” said Kristal. “I was waiting to die.”
A Glimmer of Hope at the Verge of Death
It was then, through an introduction, Kristal went to consult Dr Tay Miah Hiang, a practising Oncologist at OncoCare Cancer Centre, who later re-diagnosed her cancer as endometrial cancer.
“Dr Tay thought I was a bit too young to have cancer. He started to question if there was a genetic link. He began to gather medical details about my family and medical history. Subsequently, Dr Tay learnt that my father had developed colon cancer on the right side (upper colon) at 45 years, a relatively young age. My father was in the clear for the past 15 years before doctors diagnosed him with pancreatic cancer again. By piecing the information together, Dr Tay suspected Lynch syndrome.”
Lynch syndrome is an inherited cancer syndrome that results in the genetic predisposition for cancer of the colon, endometrial (uterine), ovarian, breast, stomach, pancreas and small intestine, just to name a few. Identifying this condition would be vital in Dr Tay’s game plan for Kristal.
A Leap of Faith and a Miraculous Turnaround
Dr Tay had in mind to start Keytruda (generic name: pembrolizumab, an antibody used in immunotherapy). He had seen recent data indicating immunotherapy may be highly effective in cancers due to Lynch syndrome. “Back then, Keytruda was a new drug in the market. It was largely a treatment for lung and skin cancer. Nonetheless, it worked for one patient with Lynch syndrome in an O&G cancer clinical trial of 15 patients.”
Despite the insufficient data, Keytruda was apparently effective in those with Lynch syndrome and MSI-H,” Kristal explained. “Since I have nothing else to lose, we proceeded with starting Keytruda. I recalled having a high fever the same night after receiving chemotherapy but the rest is history.”
Kristal visited Dr Tay once every three weeks for Keytruda infusion. “We knew that Keytruda was effective when I was able to be on lower morphine dose for my pain.” She was on Keytruda for one and a half years before the tumour shrank and disappeared.
“Since Keytruda worked for me, I suggested exploring whether it could also be effective for my father. Guess what, it worked! Dr Tay called us his miracles,” she exclaimed. “And I am grateful to Dr Tay, for being thorough and diagnosing accurately using his outstanding medical knowledge, besides being a respectful and supportive doctor.”
“Being diagnosed with cancer is scary. In fact, I still worry about cancer relapse when I return for follow-ups. I would tell someone newly diagnosed with cancer to allow time to grieve about it. After that, find the right doctor to journey with you. Above all, stay positive and happy by learning to see cancer beyond a death sentence,” advised Kristal. “Lastly, never give up hope.”
A word from GetDoc Says
Regular annual health checks help to detect cancer in the early stages before any signs and symptoms appear. When symptoms appear, it is usually in the later stages of cancer. Hence, do not take your health for granted. Consult a doctor today for a check-up if you have yet to do your annual health screening.
This patient testimony was brought to you by Oncocare Cancer Centre, Singapore.
Further Reads:
- Do not Skip Cancer Screening, Don’t Risk your Life!
- How to Spot Cancer Early – Beware of the Warning Signs [Part 1]
- How to Spot Cancer Early – Beware of the Warning Signs [Part 2]
Find an Oncologist in Malaysia, on GetDoc
Find an Oncologist in Singapore, on GetDoc
by Joanne Lee
Multipotentialite. Loves creating and seeing ideas come alive. View all articles by Joanne Lee.
