Inspirational Figures: Battling Cancer and Erasing the ‘Dots’

“Cancer has been one of my greatest teachers”

– HS

As a Radiation Therapist, I have met and treated countless patients throughout my career. Over the years, some of them even became friends or social media acquaintances. Though some view our profession as someone who ‘keeps their distance’ from the patients or is ‘jaded from the daily grind’, I beg to differ. On the contrary, it is hard to not get close or care about these amazing, resilient individuals. The radiotherapy journey is a long one, and we see to our patients for as little as a week or more often than not, weeks to over a month.

This time, however, I would like to share my personal account of an individual whom I have met on a unique occasion (not a patient whom I have treated) and how this person has taught and inspired me so.

HS is a petite, cheery lady whom I’ve met during a work event commemorating World Cancer Day earlier this year. Soft spoken and friendly, HS would never come across as someone who has gone through so much in her life to get to where she is today. I was so fortunate to have had met her acquaintance during the social event, and if I could sum up three words that shone right through her, that would be:

Resilience, Trust and Love

As HS shared her journey and experiences, these 3 pillars resonated to me on what held her head up high and kept her going all these years.

She trusted what her body told her and what her mind drove her to. She realized that going the extremes will not satisfy that hunger for happiness and moderation is the key. She listened to her body’s needs and found that balance. She also shared that Yoga classes and meditation helped her through these challenging times. By having a clearer mind, body and soul, she was able to ease her anxiety and worries. Of course, there were dark occasions, but it was her trust and faith in the medical professionals and caregivers that guided her through.

Love – and HS is just so full of it! She has so much love to give, and her actions and words channeled that. The love that she received from her family and friends, she was eager and generous to share. She loves food (and so do I!)- and this was a common ground for us to exchange our love and passion for cooking and a healthier take on some of our favorite recipes.

Above all, it was her resilience that truly inspired me. If there is one thing she told me that I will never forget, is that “every morning when I wake, I am thankful that I am given another day“. She braced each medical follow-up with an energy I don’t think I can ever muster, and she took every result or outcome with such unfathomable positivity. Conversations with her really grounded me and helped me reflect – how are my problems ever to compare with how these individuals weather their day-to-day? How can I love more, anger less, and find contentment? How can I do better in my profession and give more? And with all of that, I am on my own journey of finding myself…

Have you ever felt the calmness as you look out into a vast horizon or across a still body of water – but hear no winds rustling, no sounds of water gushing, just infinite peace?

– That was how I felt ‘in the moment’ as I sat across HS on one of our casual afternoon teas meetup

Conversations with HS have always been real and comfortable. Her very presence helps put anyone at ease, and with her, I feel like I could just let my thoughts flow and speak my mind. HS is just one of the many amazing individuals out there in the battle for cancer and I am so privileged to have crossed paths with her. I hope that sharing what I personally learnt from her could help you relate and perhaps help us find that inner peace or that ‘certain something’ that we all seek.

Adapted from the Mangala Suttam
^{(‘Mangala’ – a good omen, a sign of good fortune to come)}
“…when faced with the vicissitudes of life, one’s mind is unshaken, sorrowless, stainless, secure – this is the highest welfare.”

– HS’s favorite verse from the Suttam

Author’s note: HS is a breast cancer warrior and the views above are the authors’ personal experiences and accounts with the individual alone and must not be construed as a representation of a wider community/group.