Allen, then 29 had saved up enough money to open a café with his friends, he was stoked that his dreams were about to come true! The only thing puzzling him was the fact that he kept having severe gastric pains. Initially, he went to see a Chinese doctor, and started taking herbs which helped the pain, but it would come back.
His girlfriend made him see a specialist, and that’s when his café dreams suddenly seem so far away! He was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer, which showed that it has already spread to his lymph nodes, lungs, and liver. He had to have immediate surgery to remove most of the cancerous part.
Given that he originally saved RM15k to open his café, he was shocked to find out that his medical treatment costs was really expensive. Up till date, he has paid RM200k plus for treatment inclusive of supplements. The RM15k he saved up couldn’t even pay for the surgery. The one thing that Allen felt sad about was the fact that his parents had to help him bear the treatment costs financially , when it should be the other way around. However, it was during his time with the cancer journey that he saw how united his friends, and family were to help him become better day by day. As his parents were divorced, he also saw how both his mom and dad came together to support and help him recover.
When I first met him, although quiet, but I felt a strong resilience inside him, and while I was telling him about my gastric, he was telling me to eat my meals on time. One thing that really struck me was that while shooting, we were discussing the importance of a healthy diet, when he suddenly interject and said ‘Just Be Happy’, That’s the most important….
I can truly say, that at each and every shoot with these strong people, I learn more and more to become stronger not just for myself, but for everyone out there! I hope this strength will carry me through as the youth ambassador of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia!
Please support AXA AFFIN’s pledge to donate RM50,000 to the National Cancer society of Malaysia! Every share of THIS blog post/video is RM1 to NCSM!! Let’s all together give support / motivation to cancer patients and survivors, you SHARE we donate!
Stay happy,
Mei Sze
