Mrs D’s Story

Mrs. D discovered she had cancer during a routine check-up. It felt like her world had come crashing down. Determined to shield her children—a 3-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son—from the weight of her diagnosis, she resolved to protect their carefree childhood by keeping her struggles to herself. The decision to undergo surgery came easily after witnessing the consequences of inaction within her own family.

One day, while riding the bus, a woman noticed her swollen hand and asked how long it had been that way. The stranger then told her about the Hospice. “She was a patient there, too. I wish I could meet her to thank her for the recommendation—for the good she brought into my life.”

Initially, Mrs. D received lymphatic drainage therapy, and for the past four months, she has also been attending the Day Centre—a place that has lifted her spirits. “Here, you can open up to people who have been through the same struggles, who truly understand what it feels like to avoid looking in the mirror.”

Today, Mrs. D feels calm and at peace. Her greatest hope is for the progression of her advanced lymphedema to stop. Reflecting on her journey, she says, “Sometimes, what seems like evil is actually a hidden good—something you can’t see because you don’t yet have the strength to imagine things could get even harder, even darker.”