This is a story about a strong Vietnamese woman, an athlete, a mother, a daughter, and a friend.
You can never really fathom the courage and determination of someone who is diagnosed with cancer. No matter how hard to accept the fact, that she has cancer, she cried, and decided to face cancer with courage and determination to beat this disease and as well as cope from all emotions cancer has brought.
How can a person manage its emotions easily to continue the fight of cancer despite uncertainties and anxieties she has to go through? August 6, 2018, I met another warrior and listened to her story while she was lying on her hospital bed — smiling and fighting!
Disclaimer:
It’s never so easy for most Vietnamese to share with people publicly especially when diagnosed with cancer. Most of them that are diagnosed with this disease, keep their disease in private. The Cancer Voice never wants each Vietnamese family to fight this disease alone, we want their voice to be heard in order to strengthen awareness and education in the community. However, at the same time, we also protect confidentiality and share their story safely.
This is her story:
When the doctor told me that I have cancer, my mind went blank and randomly booked a motorbike service back home. While on the road, I was unceasingly crying until I was able to get home and met my newborn baby and my mother.
At that very moment, I told my mother what my doctor told me. She immediately started crying, too. We both crying hard and loud – until we release all the emotions we had inside to know I have this deadly disease inside me. A lump started to grow in my thyroid which I could not expect to have it since I know that I am healthy and very active in sports.
While I was crying, I was looking at the innocent face of my baby. He was smiling at me, and that made me cry more. However, the news about cancer made me so down and depressed, it made me cry like a river with my mother but I manage to cry everything only for a day.
The Cancer Voice:
Cancer is indeed a frightening and emotional roller coaster. It can break you for a day, week, or month. But it will also make you into a much stronger person coz’ it’s the choice you have & you have to be.
The story that we shared is just a part of the story of how this brave warrior faced cancer. Sometimes, it takes months or so to be able to cope up with the doctor’s diagnosis to know that you have cancer. Some people get even depressed or terribly anxious because it is difficult to accept that you already have cancer.
While we were talking, I let her know that all the emotions she felt were all normal. I also cried for days, kept it to most people and difficult to accept that I had cancer.
But, if we are already there, in the event that there is already a tumor/lump growing in your body, we have nothing to do but to accept, claim the disease and stand up to win this battle.
The reason why The Cancer Voice is relentlessly continuing the advocacy of strengthening the education and awareness about cancer in Asia especially throughout Vietnam because everyone should have the right information about this disease. The more information they will have, the less fear there is, the greater the trust is and they might not have such a frightening perception of it.
We need everyone to support this campaign that educates every Vietnamese family, to focus on changing their perception toward cancer and to help save lives.
There is a great deal of difference concerning the degree of understanding cancer and the information available to the community.
There are many ways to help and be an advocate:
- Share the post of The Cancer Voice Vietnam for the sake of childhood cancer patients and even to the rest of the healthy children that need awareness for the early signs.
- Share some relevant articles of The Cancer Voice Asia to anyone you know needs information or guidance about their cancer.
- While sharing useful information for cancer awareness, support the hashtags to help spread the awareness effectively.
#TheCancerVoice #EndChildhoodCancer #noicungcon #thecancervoicevn #hope#awareness
#preventcancer #earlysigns #ungthu #nangcaonhanthuc#nganchanungthu
#dauhieunhanbietsom - Support the events The Cancer Voice for the fundraising project in the future.
- We don’t ask anyone to donate money, The Cancer Voice is dedicated to being support especially emotionally and intellectually. However, if you wish to help in this way, don’t hesitate to contact us in order to give you more information on how you can possibly do it.
The Cancer Voice Asia‘s function is not to let every individual fight cancer alone. And, we believe that there is a tiny spark of hope for a cure.
Photo by Piron Guillaume on Unsplash.
Click here for Vietnamese.
My name is Cielo, the author of “The Cancer Voice Asia”, a blog that aims to support and inspire anyone who is facing cancer. I know how it feels to be diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of cancer, Leiomyosarcoma, at the age of 29. I know the challenges, the fears, the hopes, and the joys of living with cancer. I want to share my story with you and connect you with others who understand what you are going through. Together, we can empower ourselves and fight against the disease. Join me on this platform and let’s make our healing journey a meaningful one.
