Sharing by Stephanie’s sister
“Stephanie has a growth at the back of her head. At the beginning, our family was very sceptical of agreeing to surgery to remove her tumour. So she started taking medication, painkillers and traditional medicine. However, her condition did not improve even after one month, and her tumour was spreading aggressively instead. It was then that our family agreed for Stephanie to undergo an emergency surgery at the Miri Hospital to remove the tumour.”
Stephanie Ngian’s sister, Kartini, spoke about Stephanie’s cancer-fighting journey and how they found out about Stephanie’s tumour located at the back of her head when she was 8 years old.
“Her earliest signs were when she started vomiting and experiencing prolonged headaches at the back of her head. She was losing a lot of weight and became very weak. We went to multiple clinics for check-ups and then to the Bintulu Hospital for a CT scan and some X-ray tests. After that, we were referred to the Miri Hospital for a MRI scan, where they diagnosed Stephanie with Medulloblastoma.”
Medulloblastoma is a cancerous brain tumour that starts in the lower back part of the brain. Although it is rare, Medulloblastoma is the most common cancerous brain tumour in children. With early diagnosis and proper treatment, Medulloblastoma patients have a five-year survival rate of over 70%.
After Stephanie’s tumour removal in Miri, she was admitted to the Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching for further follow-up treatment and medical observation.
“Neither of our parents were able to accompany Stephanie to Kuching. Our mum has a medical condition while our dad has to continue working to provide for our family and stay back in Bintulu to take care of our mum.”
“During that time, I just completed my SPM examination, so I volunteered to accompany Stephanie to Kuching so that she can undergo her treatment.”
With no immediate family members in Kuching, Kartini had to learn to be independent in navigating unfamiliar territories while taking care of her sister and herself.
“It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. There were a lot of ups and downs – I remember there was a moment when Stephanie told me that she had lost all hope to get better. Hearing that from her pained my heart. I knew that I had to stay strong for her to be able to support her through her treatment.”
Stephanie is everything to her sister. What keeps Kartini optimistic is the hope that Stephanie will get better.
“When I see other kids at the ward slowly getting better, it gives me courage and faith that Stephanie will regain her health too. Of course, the moral support from our family is equally important in keeping us strong mentally.”
SCCS is another strong support system in Stephanie’s cancer-fighting journey, providing financial and moral support.
“They have helped Stephanie and me, personally, in so many ways. SCCS staff are always there at the ward, comforting Stephanie and encouraging me not to give up hope. They will carry out various arts and crafts activities with Stephanie, trying to make her happy and comfortable despite the pain that she has to endure.”
“During her 9th birthday in 2022, Stephanie was admitted to the ICU of the Paediatric ward, and I was not able to stay with her inside the ICU. It was her first time not having her family members by her side during her birthday. SCCS staff and the ICU team threw her a surprise Frozen-themed birthday party, and I could see from the pictures how happy she was. While Stephanie was in ICU, I also found shelter at SCCS halfway home in Kuching.”
“You can’t fight cancer alone, and because of the support we get from our family, medical team and SCCS, Stephanie and I remain hopeful that she will get better one day, despite the critical condition that she is in. Don’t think that we have the biggest problem, because we don’t, and there are more people out there who are in a far worse condition than us.”
“Take this opportunity to spend as much time as you can with your loved ones. Stay happy because we never know what miracles lie ahead of us.”
Stephanie has completed her radiotherapy and is currently undergoing chemotherapy and physiotherapy.
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