“I am afraid of pain and even thought of giving up treatment. However, I have to be strong for my daughter. She has lost her father and can no longer live without a mother, so I want to receive treatment. Please help me!”

Teoh Pei Jong, a 39-year-old single mother from Penang, has always been healthy. However, in July this year, she suddenly suffered from unbearable abdominal pain. Even oral painkillers and injections of painkillers failed to relieve the pain. She went for a CT scan and found that her colon had a four-centimetre tumour. After undergoing tumour removal surgery, the doctor performed an examination and discovered that the cancer cells had metastasised to the liver.

Although the death of her husband, who succumbed to cancer, has caused her to have some phobias in treatment, she wanted to live. Therefore, she actively sought help, hoping to obtain a chance to survive.

【The pain made Pei Jong reluctant to move forward with treatment. If the pain when delivering a baby was level two, the abdominal pain she experienced was level four, which was double the pain of childbirth. The pain made the patient want to give up treatment many times】

Pei Jong’s husband had liver cancer in 2016. He succumbed to the disease and passed away after two months of treatment at the age of 37. Since then, health has become Pei Jong’s priority. She insists on exercising weekly. She is a swimming instructor and often runs, hikes, and goes diving. She also practices a healthy lifestyle.

In July this year, when she was working part-time as a promoter at a travel fair, she suddenly had abdominal pain. She took painkillers, but the pain did not go off. She later went for treatment, and the pain persisted even after she had an injection of painkillers. She described that if the pain of natural childbirth was level two, then the abdominal pain was level four, which was double the pain of childbirth.

She then went for a CT scan, and the doctor discovered that a four-centimetre tumour in her colon had burst. She underwent emergency surgery to clear the abscess and remove the tumour. A test report showed that she had stage three colon cancer. Later, the doctor discovered that the cancer cells had metastasised. There were six small tumours in her liver. However, she was not suitable for surgical removal as the tumours were too close to the main blood vessel and stomach. She might only have six months left to live.

When she just learned that she had cancer, she once complained about everything and everyone. She asked why she got cancer when she had done nothing wrong and was serious about taking care of her health. She felt profoundly aggrieved and questioned about her bumpy life. She was sad, had insomnia and cried every day.

Pei Jong had seen her husband’s treatment in the past and had some phobias about the treatment. She once wanted to give up. Her family’s repeated encouragement and support and the chance to receive a treatment plan rekindled her hope and gave her motivation to continue to survive.

Pei Jong and her husband previously ran a mobile phone shop together. After her husband’s passing and the outbreak of Covid-19, the business plummeted. She passed the management of the shop to her younger brother. She became a swimming instructor and also worked as a part-time promoter at trade fairs, earning about RM3,000 monthly. She lives with her 16-year-old daughter.

After reviewing the case following a home visit, One Hope Charity decided to raise the necessary medical expenses for the single mother. She agreed to fully authorise One Hope Charity to take charge of the fundraising and collect donations from the well-wishers on her behalf. One Hope Charity also allocated RM20,000 from the “Emergency Medical Reserve Fund” to support her. Call One Hope Charity’s hotline at 04-539 9212, 016-419 2192, 019-232 2192 or 018-911 4192 if you have questions.