PETALING JAYA: Having practised a healthy lifestyle, staying away from cigarettes, and exercising regularly, Nor Ain Azmee never thought she would hear that she had cancer.
Nor Ain said she was told by her doctor that she only had six months to live after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in August 2021.
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“My world turned dark. I isolated myself from everyone, from social media and even my family for over two weeks. I was so lost.
“Stage four was already very close to death, almost no chance to recover,” she said, recalling the moment she first received the news.
One day, her then four-year-old son uttered: “No one wants to play with me anymore.”
That was a wake-up call for her to seek treatment.
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Two years on, Nor Ain has a mission to educate people that a diagnosis of the disease does not mean the end of their lives.
Nor Ain said the public should never take any health red flags lightly, emphasising the need for regular health screening.
“Before I was diagnosed, I was already experiencing coughing symptoms that lasted for almost a year. I took it lightly and only saw the doctor to treat the symptom when I was advised to seek a specialist.
“One day, I had trouble breathing, and that was when I finally went to the hospital and after several tests, I was diagnosed with the disease,” she added.
Nor Ain said based on the Next Generation Sequencing test she took, genetics was a main factor in her contracting the disease.
“I never thought I would get cancer as I never smoked and had always practised a healthy lifestyle,” she added.
Cancer Survivor Malaysia founder Zuraini Kamal said that early detection is the best way to ensure the disease can be treated.
Zuraini said she has always advised the public to never take their health for granted as cancer can strike anyone regardless of their lifestyle.
“Even the healthiest person can get cancer. There’s nothing much we can do to prevent cancer, but early detection is the key for recovery,” she said.
She also said that considering the public healthcare system cannot accommodate the entire population, the public need to ensure that they are protected by health insurance.
“The government should also ensure that the latest drugs to treat cancer are accessible to everyone.
“If giving it for free is not possible, maybe provide a subsidy for the drugs,” she added, saying that the expenses for oral chemotherapy drugs for lung cancer could reach over RM5,800 per month.
Zuraini also said that screening for cancers should be made widely available similar with other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes.
“It’s time for the government to emphasise public screening for cancers, including for lungs, just like what we have been doing with other NCDs,” she added.
