There’s life after breast cancer

NST: KUALA TERENGGANU: To matron Chong Chee Yong, the diagnosis of breast cancer seven years ago was too much to bear. Depressed, the 63-year-old believed she had been given a death sentence.
It was a visit by a group of survivors while she was being treated in Kuala Lumpur that made her realise that there was life after breast cancer.
That experience led to Chong’s decision to help other women diagnosed with breast cancer.
"It’s critical to have people around you at such a time. Patients are afraid. They’ve heard the horror stories and worry, especially about the chemotherapy and its side-effects. You seldom hear the stories of survivors," she said.
After returning home from her treatment, the matron with over 30 years of nursing experience founded Rakan Cakna in 2003. The breast cancer support group now has 40 members. Cakna is local slang for caring.
Every year, the group gives emotional support to about 50 women. it holds regular gatherings, including high-tea three times a year.
Chong visits the hospital three or four times a week to offer support to new patients.
"You can see the effects of your visit on a patient, and as you talk to them you learn from them too. In a way, it’s a form of therapy for me, and I’m happy I can stand by them at such a trying time."
She recalls a patient named Maimun, who was diagnosed when her cancer was in an advanced stage.
Chong says Maimun was lying in bed sobbing when she introduced herself as a breast cancer survivor.
Maimun immediately sat up, grabbed Chong’s hand, and bombarded her with questions and vented her frustration.
"Cancer can be frightening, but I told her there was hope. This is why I encourage survivors to make themselves visible," she said, adding that she still kept in touch with Maimun.
She also volunteers at Persatuan Hospis Terengganu, which cares for terminal cancer patients.
She would love to see more survivors come forward as volunteers.
It could be something as simple as holding someone’s hand and talking to them, she said.
"I take solace in Mother Teresa’s words, ‘The whole world is like a drop in the ocean. But if you don’t put a drop in, the ocean remains one drop less’," she said.