Female Celebrities Who Triumphed Over Breast Cancer Tell Other Ladies To Be Positive~
Breast cancer is a serious concern for all of us females out there and is currently on the rise. More then 25 percent of cancers diagnosed in Singapore are breast cancer.
Though it might seem like the greatest tragedy to befall a female, these local celebrities speak up and tell us how they fought on and their world did not come crashing to an end.
Photo from McCort Mirror
In commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness month this October, lets get some inspiration from these brave women and encourage all our friends who we know suffer from the same plight!
Photo from Clip Art
- Pan Ling Ling
Photo from The Womens Weekly
Pan Ling Ling has had a long drawn battle with breast cancer.
She was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer in March 2013. One of the six cysts found in her left breast was cancerous.
She had to undergo a partial mastectomy, followed by five months of chemotherapy and a month of radiotherapy.
Today, she eats healthily and has been cancer free for 5 years.
Initially she was reluctant to talk about her experience but now she is coming forward to speak about it and encourage other women to keep fighting on and be positive.
Photo from Asiaone
"I am prepared to reveal everything because I want to create awareness of the disease, and remind people that they shouldn't be afraid of cancer. You just need to detect it early enough and go through treatment, and recover."
Her positive attitude helped when she face a double whammy during that trying period. In the same year, her dad was also diagnosed with lung cancer. As she watched her dad struggle bitterly, she forced herself to remain strong and positive because she knew her dad gained positivity and hope from her.
You could say in a way, her recovery was attributed to her father.
"My doctor told me that cancer won't kill a person — it's when you're terrified and unhappy that things worsen. Be brave and face it head-on, and victory will be on your side."
We think Pan Ling Ling has given some very sound and wonderful advice to all ladies out there.
2. Lum May Yee
Photo from Singapore Tatler
She might not be a familiar name or face for many of the younger generation but she was a hot and popular actress back in the days before she left showbiz.
She was the leading actress in popular Eric Khoo movie ' The Chicken Rice Wars' and '12 Storeys'. She was also one of the hottest models back then, and constantly graced the cover pages of local female magazines.
Photo from Straits Times
After she had finished breast feeding her youngest child, the 45-year-old former model-actress received news during a medical check-up that she had a stage 2A slow-growing cancer.
She had to undergo four months of chemotherapy and she lost all her hair during the process. It was the most difficult and painful time for her life.
Photo from Icon Singapore
It was her family that helped her through this dark period.
"The thing about chemotherapy is that it works, but that's also because it kills everything in your body — the good cells, the bad cells and everything else. And it hurts. It really is as brutal as people tell you. You feel like death, especially the first eight or nine days after a dose. I couldn't eat, had very bad stomach cramps and you have no energy at all. But I had excellent family support and that made a real difference."
Unfortunately, despite the treatment , the disease went into remission three years later.
May Lee had to remove her uterus and ovaries to prevent the condition from worsening.
"My advice is that you have to keep telling yourself it will get better. If you're not positive, the treatment will just bring you lower. Just take baby steps, it's ok.
May Yees' own grandmother passed away due to breast cancer, so her advice for women out there is to go for regular breast checks. With early detection, chances of recovery are far higher.
3. Yakata Miki
Even though the risk of breast cancer increases after 40, younger women may also be affected.
Former Japanese girl group SKE48 member Yakata Miki had to undergo surgery to remove her left breast and lymph nodes due to breast cancer.
Yakata is still undergoing treatment now. A check up and early detection had actually prevented the condition from exacerbating.
4. Foyce Le Xuan
Photo from @foycelexuan
In 2013, Foyce Le Xuan had been diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer after coming back from Taiwan where she was training to become a singer.
Back then, it felt as though her world had come crashing down and her illustrious, budding career was now over. She went offline from social media because she felt ashamed and wanted to hide her condition.
"I hid away from the public eye for a year following my diagnosis – even if it's just going to a neighbourhood café – because I hated the idea of people pitying me."
To make the chemotherapy sessions more bearable, she tried to inject life and humour into them, as a reminder to herself to stay positive and smile through the hard times.
"I'd take silly selfies after each procedure. Being depressed only slows down the recovery process, I told myself."
Foyce advocates the importance of going for regular check ups because breast cancer is much more common in Singapore then we think!
Know anyone suffering from cancer? Lets show our support for them during this gruelling period and share this to encourage them! At the same time, do share this as a reminder to all your female friends that breast cancer could hit anyone at any age, so do get a regular body check up so you can detect any malicious traces of cancer early.
Photo from MT
Text By: Girlstyle SG
