Nation

Single mother with cancer stays tough for daughter's sake

KUALA LUMPUR: Teoh Pei Jong has experienced a lot of pain and went through several medical procedures in the past three months.

The 39-year-old swimming instructor and partime promoter is a single mother living in Penang. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in July.

The events which led to the diagnosis was very painful and gruelling.

While working at her promoter job, she suddenly experienced severe abdominal pain.

Painkillers and pain relief injections from doctors were ineffective, and she had to undergo emergency surgery after a CT scan revealed a 4cm tumour had ruptured in her colon.

Subsequent test results confirmed that she had colon cancer, and the cancer cells had already spread to her liver.

Her doctors gave her a life expectancy of as little as six months.

It was a moment which changed her life, but Teoh needed to be strong for the sake of her 16-year-old daughter.

Teoh's husband had died of liver cancer eight years ago at the age of 37. He had been receiving treatment for two months before his death.

Having witnessed her husband's difficult treatment process, she developed a profound fear of undergoing treatment herself and initially wanted to give up, especially as her abdominal pain was described as twice the intensity of childbirth.

China Press reported that Teoh shares a close bond with her daughters. She is also seeking RM450,000 in treatment funds.

Despite the challenges she is facing, she only wishes to live on for her daughter.

When relating her years before her husband's death, Teoh said that they previously ran a mobile phone shop. However, the business declined after his death and following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Teoh's brother now manages the shop, while she became a swimming coach and worked part-time as a promoter to make ends meet.

However, since she fell ill and was diagnosed with cancer, Teoh is unable to work. She now relies on the support of friends and family, and has been using her savings to get by.

She also admitted to keeping a healthy lifestyle in the past as she often ran, hiked and went diving.

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