My name is Synne, and I am a 33-year-old woman living in Malaysia. I was diagnosed with stage 4 endometrial cancer in July 2022, after I experienced bleeding for a few months. I received chemotherapy and radiotherapy as treatment for the cancer. However, I stopped treatment because of financial reasons.
I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. I had been experiencing bleeding for a few months, but I thought that the symptoms were not serious. When I finally decided to seek medical help, it led to my diagnosis.
I also experienced bloating.
When I was first diagnosed, I felt sad because I was not ready to die.
I received treatment for the cancer, but stopped because of financial reasons. As part of my treatment, I received 15 rounds of chemotherapy over 15 months and 30 sessions of radiotherapy over one month. As a result of treatment, I had no appetite and became weak. I also did not have enough platelets.
I decided on my treatment plan based on the doctor’s recommendation. After deciding on my treatment plan, I felt sad because I was not ready to die.
As for financing treatment, I was receiving support from family and friends.
The most severe side effect I experienced was a loss of appetite, which affected my daily life as I could not sleep. I also had diarrhea as a result of treatment. I did not do anything to manage my side effects since no medicine was given by the doctor.
I was not working when I was diagnosed with cancer.
After being diagnosed, I faced challenges in my social life and relationships with my loved ones, in my day-to-day life, and with my self-esteem and self-image. My self-esteem and self-image affected me the most. I worked on overcoming these challenges by staying at home and reading the bible.
As for arrangements regarding end-of-life care, I always pray.
Throughout my cancer journey, I dealt with a fear of the impact on my family and relationships. I worked to overcome these fears by seeking support from family or friends, focusing on positive thinking and gratitude, and through spiritual and religious practices.
Today, I feel neutral because I surrender all to God.
If I had to give practical advice to other cancer patients, I’d say please eat healthy and always think positively, even when it's hard. I also wish I had known about the cancer earlier. To those currently on their cancer journey, I’d say always think positively and surrender all to God.
This patient's story is published and shared with their full consent. Any personal data that can be used to identify the patient has been omitted.
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