This was certainly the case for Kala Balasingam, 52, and Nurul Fatiha, 40, who were diagnosed in their late 30s.
Kala first became aware of a lump in her breast in 2007, prompting her to get it checked. While it wasn’t initially detected, she was diagnosed with cancer on her second visit a year later, at age 37.
”I was absolutely shocked at the news,” she told FMT Lifestyle at the office of the Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia (BCWA) in Petaling Jaya, Selangor recently.
“To my knowledge, there was no family history of cancer, and my daughter had just started school. She was seven years old , and it was overwhelming because I was the youngest in my family.”
To make things even harder, Kala revealed she was her father’s “pet”, and he was no longer around. “When I was told I had cancer, he was the first person that I actually wanted by my side.
“It was difficult, but my sister, who’s a doctor, stood by me. She never cried; she stayed strong,” Kala recalled. “I also had very good friends who rallied around me.”
For Kala, it was important to be truthful with her young daughter about her diagnosis.
“Unlike some parents who choose not to address the elephant in the room, I was determined because she’s a very smart girl. I didn’t want to not be truthful with her, so I got a book that was specifically illustrated for children. I read it to her and told her about what would happen.”
After being cancer-free for 12 years, Kala experienced a recurrence in June 2021 but, due to its early detection, she did not require the gruelling treatment plan of chemotherapy and radiation she endured in 2008.
And despite these challenges, Kala maintains a cheery disposition and is emphatic that cancer is “not a death sentence”.
Nurul’s solitary journey
While patients like Kala were able to be surrounded by friends and loved ones, others such as Nurul were forced to go through their cancer experience alone, thanks to the lockdowns brought about by the pandemic.
The former banker had come across a lump during a breast self-examination in late 2020. The results of a subsequent ultrasound led her to online forums for further advice before she went for a biopsy.
When doctors confirmed it was cancer, Nurul said she felt “numb” and was unable to process the news. “I was crying day in and day out. I live by myself and it was in the heart of the pandemic, so I had to go through everything alone,” she recalled.
Nurul explained that she wasn’t able to share the news with her parents as her father had been undergoing bypass surgery at the time. But she sought peer support by emailing various cancer societies in the country, which led her to BCWA.
“I had a lot of questions like, what’s going to happen to me? What is this journey about? How am I going to get through this? I thought this was an illness for older people.”
Her phone call with BCWA – with whom both she and Kala now do voluntary work – served to be a lifeline that provided her with clarity and support. She was subsequently able to undergo 11 months of treatment.
Now, Kala and Nurul are sharing their stories to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month throughout October, and to remind everyone that cancer does not discriminate.
So to all ladies, do ensure you go for cancer screenings or perform self-examinations, and listen to your bodies. When in doubt, consult your healthcare professional.
Learn more about the Breast Cancer Awareness Association of Malaysia by clicking here.