Cassandra wore many hats before her cancer diagnosis. She was a successful corporate financial controller for foreign financial institutions and banks. She is a loving daughter to her parents, an Iron-mate to her husband and a doting mother to her children. Cassandra is a teacher for the Children’s Ministry in her Church.
Life took a turn when she turned 49. The case wasn’t usual in the doctor’s office diagnosis, one in which she could ponder treatment plans and take her time to make an informed decision. Instead, it was a sudden ovarian attack that came very quickly.
The day that changed it all
Recollecting that Friday morning at the gym, Cassandra felt immense pain when the attack occurred. So much so, the gym instructors at the gym had to carry her into the car. Relating that pain to childbirth, she said that “at least those pains had breathers in between.”
The recovery process
From feeling the first pains at 8:30 am, by 1:00 pm she was already in the operating theatre for emergency surgery. Her gynaecologist looked at the scans and ordered the immediate removal of her entire womb, fallopian tubes, both ovaries and two sets of lymph nodes behind the womb where clusters were found. After the operation, when Cassandra regained consciousness from the surgery, it was revealed that it was cancer of the second stage. The cyst sat on the right side of her ovary and grew from 3cm to 12cm within a year.
The gynae then referred Cassandra to Dr Peter Ang Cher Siang of OncoCare. A month after the operation, chemotherapy sessions began. It was supposed to be every week for 18 weeks, but the sessions prolonged because her immunity was very low. Some sessions could not possibly happen because of the lack of immunity. Chemo was prolonged to about five/six months instead.
The side effects were quite extensive – with her hair coming out in clumps, numbness in feet, losing her sense of taste so drastically that every meal consumed was loaded with ‘chilli padi’, just to feel something on the tongue.
The care of the OncoCare team
I am very appreciative of Dr Ang and his team of nurses, at OncoCare, for looking into my needs during the chemotherapy treatments. They frequently came round to see how I was feeling and chatted with me.
I was always greeted with their warm smiles. That really gave me the comfort I needed to step into the clinic to receive my intravenous needles. It was definitely a ‘check’, knowing that they have my best interest at heart.
“I think my background in long-distance running really helped me get through the difficult times because it’s really true that the mind trains the body. For endurance, to see the finish line and endure the process.”
Life after the diagnosis
The treatment and recovery process lasted 4 and a half years. There was nothing that anyone could help with physically during this time, no medication to make the horrible symptoms disappear. Being in the faith, trusting God really helped her to get better.
“Working with children made it easier to talk about what was really going on, in a non-threatening environment. Children are innocent, you don’t want to reject their questions, but you also don’t want to spout lies. So you find a way to take all that’s happened and put them into digestible knowledge, which is also what I’m able to do right now – speaking of my experience without shedding tears.”
When asked about a piece of advice you’d give someone going through a cancer battle right now?
“Fight on, it’s not a death sentence. The mind is the battlefield, you have to believe that you can do it. Also, laugh. Surround yourself with people who make you laugh.”
A Word from GetDoc
Always listen to your body. Any unexplainable body changes should prompt a visit to the doctor for further investigation. If you or your loved one experience unusual signs and symptoms, consult a doctor today for early diagnosis and treatment.
This patient testimony was brought to you by Oncocare Cancer Centre, Singapore.
Further reads:
- 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 Jemima Joseph
Using words to create communities. Intrinsically passionate about people, music, and the arts. View all articles by Jemima Joseph.
