No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up and never give up! That is one mantra I have always believed in, since I was a young student in San Jose, California.
And especially now, life after breast cancer. On most days, it is a big challenge just to get up and feel good. I still am feeling fatigue and lethargic, six months after I completed cancer treatments. When everything is a big effort to accomplish, this is a good mantra to keep.
I was feeling under the weather this morning. I almost couldn’t get out of bed. And I promised to give a lunch time talk on life after cancer to 60 staff of YTL Construction via Zoom. I couldn’t let them down.
The lunch time was organised by YTL Learning Academy. It was in conjunction with World Cancer Day 2022 on February 4.
A person’s worth is measured by what a person value. I value honouring my words, keeping my commitments and delivering my promises. Keeping that in mind, I literally forced myself to get up because I have made a promise. I must deliver, as long as I’m alive and kicking.
It was such a mammoth effort to drag myself out of bed. I had fever and cold since last night, my head was heavy. I had brain fog or chemo brain so my mind was hazy. It’s one of the long-term side effects of chemotherapy. I needed a long cold shower to come out of that.
Somehow magic happened. And there I was at 11.30 am, all set and geared up for my lunch time talk that was scheduled for 12 noon. Prepped at my laptop with my slides all prepared for my talk. I acted as if nothing had happened this morning.
I have been told that, I have a knack for making things look so easy. I simply make everything look like a breeze, even cancer for that matter. That’s just who I am. Cancer is in fact a checklist for me to tick off, get it done and over with, and move on.
Alhamdulillah. I was told by the organisers that my sharing was very inspiring and full of learnings. I bawled the audience by being honest, authentic and vulnerable.
So I’m glad that I got up, got dressed, showed up and did not give up.
