From cancer survivor to healthcare advocate
by Joshua Purushotman · The Sun News · JoinPETALING JAYA: Siti Mazrina Othman, 55, was too busy trying to spell “leukaemia” on her phone to break down in tears when her doctor told her she had cancer.
“After she left, I called my husband of 33 years but could not bring myself to tell him the diagnosis. It was only then that I cried. That was the first and last time I did since being diagnosed with leukaemia.”
Recalling her experience, Siti Mazrina from Taman Gombak in Batu Caves, Selangor told theSun that she had a constant fever for a month and finally went to the Selayang Hospital Fever Centre since her area was a dengue hotspot.
Hospitalised for three days, tests showed she was clear of dengue but her white blood cell count was low.
She was immediately transferred to the Ampang Hospital, where a bone marrow aspiration (BMA) confirmed she had acute promyeloicytic leukaemia. That was in 2014. She was warded for 22 days and started treatment.
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“Chemotherapy is terrible and I would not wish it on my worst enemy. My hair fell out, I felt depressed and suffered splitting headaches, nausea, body aches and mood swings.
“I also had ulcers in my mouth and could not eat, sleep or talk. During the first six months of my diagnosis, my skin became dry and flaky, and I suffered significant muscle loss to the point that I could hardly walk.”
After six months of medical leave, she returned to work as an accounts executive and this started a new chapter in her life.
“At work, I suffered brain fog and muscle aches. What was worse was the memory loss as I forgot things said to me within minutes. That was frightening.”
Siti Mazrina said she is blessed to have a support system as her children are strong and her husband was always by her side.
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“My siblings and parents were also supportive. Nobody cried in front of me. How could they when I would be the one having to console them?”
Her cancer is now in remission and she only needs to see her oncologists once a year. Before this, she had medical appointments once every three months, with a BMA done in between.
However, just when life was returning to normal, tragedy struck in 2020 when her husband Fawzi Mohd Jaih, then 57, was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“Why him? Why us? I could not believe this was happening and wondered how to break the news to my children.”
She said when they learned of his cancer, it had already progressed to stage four, as confirmed by a hospital scan.
Once they got home and Fawzi had settled in, she went out with her son and they drove along a highway to nowhere.
“I was devastated and broke down and cried hysterically. I could control my emotions when I had leukaemia but Fawzi always had a low tolerance for pain and blood scared him, so how was he going to take the treatment?”
Fawzi’s medical condition started with a constant fever and significant weight loss. A full blood analysis, which included a prostate specific antigen screening, resulted in his diagnosis.
Sadly, he succumbed to the disease after a three-year battle and died in 2023.
Today, Siti Mazrina is an advocate for regular medical checkups and is often invited to share her experience at events and forums.
“My advice is to go for regular checkups as it is a huge part of preventive healthcare. If you suffer from a serious medical condition, do not think of it as a death sentence.
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“We have excellent doctors in government service and some of the latest medical equipment, so do not have a defeatist attitude but look ahead with a positive mindset.”
Those who wish to invite Siti Mazrina to speak at events may contact her at ctmazothman@gmail.com.