“My name is Ilyana Najwa bt Hazemi, 18 years old. I was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma when I was almost 1 year old.

At first, my mother found out my left eye was different when I was a little baby. I was noted to have a white pupil at the age of 3 month old and did not seek medical attention till the age of 8 months old. Then, my parents sought a private Ophthalmologist opinion at the age of 11 months old and was noted to have retinoblastoma and was referred to Sarawak General Hospital for further arrangement. I had the surgery on 11 February 2003 and chemotherapy from 2nd April 2003 until 29th September 2008.”

“When I was in kindergarten, I could not understand my situation and just lived my life as a normal kid. But when I was in primary school, I became quiet and scared because I was not confident with my appearance as my left eye was a little bit bigger than my right eye. I also became a victim of the bullies because of my appearance. But with the encouragement from my parents, family and friends, I was determined to excel in my studies and get good grades to further my studies.

And now, I am 18 years old and currently studying at Universiti Putra Malaysia. My motto in life is I must do the best in my life so I can inspire other people to just believe in themselves.”

Compiled by Cikgu Mary