My name is Hannah AuYeung. I am 63-year-old. I have battled with cancer for the last 20 years. In 2000, I was first diagnosed with breast cancer. After about 14 years of remission, when the cancer was under control, I received a piece of shocking news; I had contracted ovarian cancer. I went through another 4 years of horrific cancer treatment where I suffered from bad allergy attacks related to the chemotherapy. I was often breathless and every chemotherapy treatment was increasingly challenging for me and the team of nurses and doctors whom I have grown closer through the years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seizing every opportunity

It has been my habit to ask my attending nurses and doctors to pray with me before I began any chemo treatment. I did that regardless of their faith background. This was my way of seizing every opportunity to speak boldly and clearly for Jesus. I believe in prayer. I desire so much that all the successes of the treatment be attributed to God; all glory must go to Him. And even if the treatment should prove difficult, God is in perfect control. I have accepted that death is a breath away and every day that I live is already a miracle!

 

And even if the treatment should prove

difficult, God is in perfect control….every

day that I live is already a miracle!

 

Everything is in God’s hands

In August this year, I was told that the cancer cells had spread to the liver, stomach and intestine. And the doctor would like to put me on a new treatment. I refuse to succumb to despair and went along with the doctors, trusting God to use them to give me an extended life. And I strongly believe that everything is in God’s hands. In fact, one can hardly suspect I have cancer. I love life! I love people, especially children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For most of my life, I firmly hold on a life principle taken from the book of Philippian Chapter 4, verses 4 and 6 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My best experience of God’s goodness

I vividly remembers how God came through for me in my darkest moment. It was my best experience of God’s goodness and care over me and my family. It concerned my husband. He was a taxi driver with a number of unsettled accident cases against him. There were bills that he did not paid and he often could not explain why he was losing money. It was only when my husband had a fall just before the Chinese New Year that we discovered that he was suffering from dementia. His sense of judgement and direction and his executive function were severely impaired. That time I was still undergoing my last phase of cancer treatment.

 

There were so many accident reports filed against my husband plus the number of bills owing to the authorities and different people and all these proved too much for me and my only daughter. We eventually sought the help of our MP, Minister Chan Chun Sing, who helped us to settle the insurance for the car accidents and got us help to pay off the bills. He even saw to the monthly supplies of food for me and my daughter. We were penniless and God knew our state. He is still good to us. In his great compassion, He delivered us. He sent help from many quarters.

 

 

 

 

 

God calmed the storm to a whisper

At some point, some relatives began to insist that I should stop work to take care of my husband, and that I should sell the house to adequately manage my expenses. But I could not do that as I was sick. My poor daughter had to go the Police Station by herself to settle the unexpected police report that her father had knocked someone in one of his taxi routes. Because of the many stressors, my cancer marker also shot up. All these seemed like a sudden storm that raged us by surprise. We could not cope and it felt like our life was spinning out of control. But God calmed the storm to a whisper. And He calmed me and my daughter. His peace filled my heart. Indeed, God IS good all the time.

 

The Child Care centre that I worked with (for 18 years) supported me for three months even though I had to go on no pay leave because of my illness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I managed to place my husband in a beautiful Nursing Home with excellent care that normally costs around $2000 monthly. But I do not need to pay for his stay there, even until today. Isn’t God good? Since He is so good to me, what else can I not bear up?

 

Truly God provides for all our needs to the smallest details. Today, I am able to eat and sleep well despite the chemo treatment. To the surprise of my doctors, I have even put on weight. In this round of chemo treatment, there were minimal side effects.

 

God knows what is best for me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until that day, let it be known

that this woman whom you now

see and know, has been made

strong because her God is always

good and faithful to the end.

 

These song lyrics capture the essence of my story…

 

I love You, Lord

For Your mercy never failed me

All my days, I've been held in Your hands

From the moment that I wake up

Until I lay my head

Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

 

And all my life You have been faithful

And all my life You have been so, so good

With every breath that I am able

Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

 

I love Your voice

You have led me through the fire

And in darkest night You are close like no other

I've known You as a Father

I've known You as a Friend

And I have lived in the goodness of God, yeah!

 

And all my life You have been faithful, oh

And all my life You have been so, so good

With every breath that I am able

Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God, yeah!

'Cause Your goodness is running after, it's running after me

 

 

Edited by Ms Alvina Tan