Su, a breast cancer survivor, wearing the Alsou Dress. 

“When I was diagnosed with stage 2, breast cancer 7 years ago, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it, even when I went for an operation. How could it be possible when I led a healthy lifestyle? I had a good family with two healthy young daughters and no work related stress. 

What broke me was when the doctor told me I had to receive chemotherapy treatments. That was the first time I had tears in my eyes. This sounds a little ridiculous but as a lady, I want to look beautiful! It was very difficult for me to grasp the idea of losing all of my hair. After consulting many different doctors, even ones in Singapore, they confirmed that the only way I could be treated was through chemotherapy. I couldn’t deny it any longer; I just had to face it. 

Typically with chemotherapy, hair starts falling out two weeks after the first injection. I took the plunge and shaved my entire head. When I got home, my youngest daughter who was 7 years old at the time took one look at me and started crying at my new appearance. This broke my heart, I felt like an alien in my own home. From then on, my daughters slept with their father while I slept alone. As a family, we slept this way until my treatment was completed. On the bright side, I found a beautiful wig, which gave me a hairstyle I've never had!

I tried to turn negativity into positivity. I found God through this challenging period and I thank Jesus for being by my side through this entire experience. Supportive people surrounded me, from my husband who accompanied me for all the treatments and sat beside me while I was put on drips, to my boss who generously offered financial support. He issued me a check and told me to buy whatever I needed with the money to ease things for me. I also had the support from my friends at the Pink Ribbon Foundation. There is always someone there to support you when you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom.

I recovered, but towards the end of the 5 year “danger period”, I was diagnosed with Thyroid complications. I was prepared for another round of fighting – I’d beaten cancer once, I could do it again! Luckily for me, it turned out to be not cancerous, and went away with medication after about a year. I am completely healed now and I live by the tagline, ‘never be a victim, and always be a fighter!’” - Su