“I can say that I have a new chance at life, which is a very lucky thing to have.”

“There was a fast growing tumor on the right side of my brain, and it was causing water retention in the brain which, if the tumor actually gets larger, will actually push the central alignment of the brain towards the left. When it covers the air passage of the brain, breathing will be difficult and I might lose my life because of that. This condition is called hydrocephalus and this form of cancer is called lymphoma. So the doctor insisted to take out the tumor and surgery was crucial and I needed to do it as soon as possible because it was life threatening.

So they had to dig in through the skull into my brain to remove the tumor and to drain the water out.

I then underwent my chemotherapy,radiation therapy, and I also did a stem cell transplant.

Thankfully, I am almost two years in remission.

And yes, my perspective on life changed.

I think we take things for granted usually, because if your life is normal, you won’t really appreciate everything in life. I’ve been through so many treatments, and the stem cells transplants were regenerating my life over and over again.

I can say that I have a new chance at life, which is a very lucky thing to have. I now treasure everything I come across, and I know how to appreciate the small things in life. Small things like having a perfect blood test report. Small things like these, like blood test results and my hair, growing, is happiness – something to be happy about. And I was not like this before.

When I was diagnosed I quit my job, because I was expecting another relapse.

I wish I hadn’t worked for so long. My daily routine was basically work, eat, sleep.

I changed my life, I changed to a slower paced life. I’m working on my own sweet time.

Work is not everything in life. If you are the workaholic type, do spend time with your family, because they should be the most important thing in your life. Work can’t replace them, whenever you fall sick, you rely on your family. Work can’t help much, except financially. Don’t neglect them because of work, it’s not worth it. Health is the other most important thing. I now work at my own pace, and focus more on my personal life”.

– Humans of Kuala Lumpur went down and spoke with a trio of female cancer survivors from the National Cancer Society Malaysia. These are their stories.

Someone with mental illness had once told me that, ‘You can choose to not be a friend, or not know what mental illness is all about. But you cannot discriminate me.’

“I grew up with a family member who is mentally ill, and have been taking the role of a caregiver for the last 20 to 30 years.

When I was really young, I didn’t know how to communicate with him because I did not understand his condition, which was schizophrenia. We seldom talked and often got frustrated with each other. But as I got older, I began to learn more about the different types of mental illness. I learned to speak to him the way he needs to be spoken to. That was when I finally understood exactly what he was trying to tell me.

Learning to communicate not only benefits him, but it also allows me to improve my communication skills with people of various backgrounds and my understanding of mental illness. Attending classes at the Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMHA) helps me deal with the people outside of our family better as I was able to explain to them on what is happening at home.

Mental illness is not something most of us talk about very often because it’s not something we are familiar with and we are afraid. Because of the stigma and stereotypes surrounding it. Those who have it refuse to see the doctor because of the fear of being labelled as problematic.

They’re actually very smart. In fact, they are even smarter than you and I. They have a lot of ideas. They think differently and can actually contribute more than we realise. I have personally seen this in a few people I know. I just hope there will be more employers who are willing to open doors for them. They will be more than happy to have the opportunities given to them, even if it’s just a few hours’ worth of work. Having a job and being able to achieve something actually helps to improve their mental conditions as well.

Someone with mental illness had once told me that, ‘You can choose to not be a friend, or not know what mental illness is all about. But you cannot discriminate me.’

What they really need is empathy, and not sympathy. They want you to understand how they really feel, just like how you would understand a person. Empathy involves understanding their feelings. Sympathy is looking down on them, thinking, “Aiyoh, you very ke lian (you’re so pitiful).”

When someone talks to you about having suicidal thoughts, you should really listen to them and not avoid the topic, no matter how much it scares you. It’s never easy for them to reveal themselves that way. When they tell you, they’re actually giving you a signal that they need help but they don’t know how to get one. They’re trying to get you to understand.

You know how sometimes we read the newspaper and go, “This person committed suicide by jumping off the building. He must have been crazy,” or, “He’s crazy. He’ll chop people up.” This is not true. The public needs to really understand why it happens. It happens because people with mental illness are not being treated right. They are left in the dark. They don’t know what to do. They need help. They can be in a much better position if we allow them to.”