DYWANE TAN Class 2A3 ( 2013 )
BEATING THE CANCER , OVERCOMING MYSELF
Dywane ’ s story is one of positive optimism .
I am a very fun-loving and playful student . I love my school and my classmates , and I was happily subsisting in Secondary One . Just before my Mid-Year Examinations , I kept feeling tired . I fell sick too easily . Then the big bang came . I learned from my mother that I had leukemia . I could do nothing . I had to act normal because I had no choice .
I spent June to October 2012 shuttering in and out of the hospital .
I was helpless and afraid of the doctors . I felt very vulnerable . My fears soon got the better of me . I refused to allow anyone to poke me , draw blood from me or inject me with anything . I did not budge . They did not budge . I was crying .
The injections soon started , and so did the pain and tears . The social workers and nurses helped me to settle in . To me , I imagined that I was in a hotel resort – that was how I managed my fears and all the injections unthinkable . I forced myself to eat and my mother rewarded me with little gifts to help me tide through this period of suffering .
I was worried , too , about my school work . As I was in and out of the hospital frequently , I could not go to school . A slight respite from school work was inevitable , but I was afraid that I could not cope with my studies when I returned to school . I had no choice but to mentally try my best to get well physically – so that I could go back to school , to learn and to have fun with my classmates .
During my last injection , the doctor told me that they were checking to see if I was going to go into REMISSION . He told my mother that he would call her to tell her the good news . My mother was very excited . I , on the other hand , was nervous and anxious . I did not want to waste any more time resting at home even though I still felt very tired .
My mother called the doctor instead . She was so eager to find out from the doctor if I was better . The big ‘ R ’ word ! She shouted it out to me ! I was elated and overjoyed !
I was able to go back to school in January 2013 . I had missed out on much of the syllabus , but something within me told me to try my best and not give up . It was not easy re-integrating back to the normal school life . It is still not easy and it is still hard to cope , but I am not giving up . I was used to my life in the hospital where I could sleep all day but in school , with its unceasing lessons and homework , it is really different . With permission from my teachers , if I get really tired , I will put my head down and rest for a while before getting back to my studies .
I want to persevere . I am not giving up .
Our Story : School is where We Aspire and Grow 017