National Cancer Society of Malaysia, Relay For Life

National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) will be organizing their inaugural RELAY FOR LIFE Kuala Lumpur 2007 to raise funds.

I have been invited to be a volunteer for this grand happening, which will be held from 2-3 June 2007 at the MSN Training Stadium Bukit Jalil. During the same time other countries over the world too will be hosting this event. I did not know what this event until I volunteered. Relay for Life is a fund raising overnight team event in a carnival like atmosphere.

I just received all relevant leaflets and forms. I would have to disseminate this information among friends and acquaintances. And hope to raise some funds too…ha…ha!

This is really going to an exciting occasion because we would have to participate from 2 (6pm)-3(10am) June i.e spending a night over at the Stadium. I usually cannot keep awake by 10.30pm…he!….he!…this is going to interesting.

Relay For Life will start with a Survivors Lap where cancer survivors will proudly make the first lap around the track to celebrate their triumph against cancer. The finale will be the Luminaria Ceremony where candles will be place around the track as a tribute to survivors or in memory of loved ones.

People will all walks of life will make this a day to remember filled with memories, for some of battles won, for some of loved ones lost and for all to cherish life with laughter and joy!

Inspiring Others “N” In Return Inspired

As I said in my earlier post that I started my blog about a year ago. It is really amazing how this blog have connected to me to my blog visitors.

I have been receiving wonderful messages and comments from the various blog readers including my friends and acquaintance. It is the sharing of one’s encounter with breast cancer that inspire others.

The blog has help me to improved my writing skills tremendously… that includes my creativity in taking pictures…ha…ha! Even old acquaintances have been renewed…that is really great!

As this blog arouses people’s emotion, they too motivate us and up lift our spirits. Many times we survivors need these moral boosters too.

I end this post by a breathtaking statement from one of my blog visitors who said my blog showed “to take life positively irrespective of our pains”

My Birthday

Last Friday the 9th was my birthday. I took time off from work today. I wanted to have a different celebration this year. In the morning I wore my new sari, and went to the temple for prayers. During lunch I packed food from the restaurant and delivered to 3 families who are less fortunate. At night my friends took me out for a quite vegetarian dinner.

I started my blog last year with “Celebrating Birthday”. Wow a year of blogging has passed and so has my age. Ha….Ha!

Many friends sent me their greetings. I was really emotional touched with the words used in the birthday wishes.

Although this year was a quite celebration but it was filled with different kind of joys and pleasant blessings.

I woke up with a smile in that morning and when I went to bed that night, I had even a bigger smile!

HURRAY I HAVE TURNED 41!

Mastering Adversity, Against All Odds

I am preparing a motivational speech for my toastmasters speech contest. I did not know that preparing one could be so challenging. Yap, I have given talks as a cancer survivor but delivering a motivational speech is a different cup of tea altogether.

As I was browsing through the internet I came across this write up about W Mitchell: Mastering Adversity, Against All Odds. As I read the article, I was totally wonderstruck at his plethora of grit and will power to overcome tremendous challenges throughout his life. He refused to be defeated by the number of obstacles thrown at him.

When you read articles on great personalities like this, you are amazed and overwhelmed of the immeasurable self-confidence, determination and inner strength of an individual compared to others. It also made me wonder… how much inner control he must have had to manage and overcome his pain, trauma, depression and anxiety and yet at the end to smile at life.

Here we are going to our daily rigmaroles and challenges…whining and complaining. And in the process get stressed and lose the yeast for life.

It is always good to read magnanimous individuals often to remind ourselves of what we are also capable of.

Playing Doctor

I played the role of a doctor this week. My mother and I went to visit this family friend of ours. She is 76 years old. She told my mother that she could feel a lump on her left breast and it was painful. My mother quickly asked me to examine her. So she removed her blouse and I felt a lump there on her tender skin. What a new experience that was! My mother too felt it.

I did not want to raise an alarm so I just told her it may be nothing serious but it is best to get her physician to have a look. A mammography should be done immediately. Panic can be seen on her face even though we assured her there is nothing to worry about. She has never done a mammography in her life.

On our way home, I told my mother if it is cancer, would she be able to withstand surgery and treatment.

Two days after this my mother accompanied our friend and her husband to the medical center. A mammogram showed everything was normal….thank god for that. In fact the lump has disappeared.

She called me that night to tell me what transpired that day, sounding happy and cheerful.

Well! I was glad everything was alright.

2-Year Survivor-Valentine’s Day

As everyone celebrated Valentine Day, I too celebrated it for the love of life. Two years ago I has my mastectomy done on Valentine’s Day.

Last year I came down with flu so could not do anything and was on medical leave at home.

This year was different…not that I had a romantic candle light dinner…ha…ha!
My colleagues and I celebrated the day by going to MacDonalds. Fastfood…a no..no but then I just felt like it.

After work, I had toastmasters' meeting and so I had lots of laughter and had valentine chocolates. My mentor gave me a valentine’s gift. As the meeting finished and I was about to leave, a relatively new member came up to me and gave me a "sweet" gift and told me how I have inspired her so much. She remembered about my mastectomy as she had read it on my blog.

I was extremely touched by their gestures. It was a happy finished to a day for love...of many things...including friendship.

I can now declare myself a two-year-old cancer survivor.

Joy of Sharing

My last Saturday was very hectic. My brother serves food every quarterly to the some families of orang asli near Telok Panglima Garang, Selangor. My parents and I usually join him in making the visit.

They are treated an Indian vegetarian mea for lunch. My mother and I prepared tahu sambal where else other friends of my brother prepared other dishes. The group is quite used to Indian vegetarian food by now as my brother has been making this visit for the past 4 years





On a makeshift table, among wooden huts, rubber trees and rustic living, we served the food to about 30 children and 50 adults. . We could feel the scorching sun on our heads as it was a very hot Saturday afternoon.







The children always wanted a second helping for papadams and cold drink. They could not wait for the adults to finish and for us to clear the tables. This is because they know at the end, they will be treated to a bundle filled with sweets, chocolate wafers, biscuits and buns. The look at this children’s face…words are not needed to describe the happiness on receiving these goodies.

After finishing saying goodbye, I had to zoom from the wildness to the concrete jungle. My insurance friend who is also my childhood friend had invited me to Hotel Singhasana in Petaling Jaya. I had been asked to share my experience as a breast cancer survivor to a small group of women. The talk was held in conjunction with an insurance product for women.

Of course after the speech, everyone said how brave I was and I had someone come up to me to give me a hug.

Well I suppose when you share something so personal even total strangers get connected to you.