JENNY'S STORY

As we chat, it’s evident that the focus of Jenny’s life has always been her family. From moving to Sydney from Hong Kong several decades ago to be near her family, to the commitment she and her husband had in raising their now grown up children, Jenny’s devotion to her family is what has shaped her life.

When she was diagnosed with breast cancer last June, Jenny had just returned from celebrating her daughter’s wedding overseas. After having a mammogram just a couple of months earlier, finding a lump in her breast was a shock that took her very much by surprise.

Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy followed. As someone who had always been proudly independent, trying to run the small family business and not wishing to burden her family with worry, Jennyfound there was an emotional toll, as well as a physical one, as she tried to stay strong for everyone else.

A warm and welcome relief from the worry came in the form of Noi, her CanCare volunteer. Typically, one of Jenny’s main concerns was how she would attend all of her hospital appointments without burdening her family.

Noi soon became much more than a volunteer. As the two ladies of similar ages and cultural backgrounds took to having tea in between appointments, a warm friendship developed.

While Jenny says she’s been able to lead a relatively normal life during her cancer, which she attributes to being generally in good health, she has struggled with feelings of loneliness. Ironically, worry about the rest of the family worrying about her, has been Jenny’s biggest anxiety during her cancer.

“Reconciling that there are some things that are simply out of your control has been the hardest part.” Jenny says as we say goodbye.

Having Noi to help her, when she’s always been the one to help others, has been one of the small but significant steps in Jenny’s cancer journey.