SINGAPORE — When Ms Natasha Fong felt a wave of intense abdominal pain and bloating in June 2020, she thought she had caught a stomach bug.
She sought medical attention two days later when the bloating did not subside. The sudden symptoms turned out to be an uncommon type of ovarian cancer called ovarian yolk sac tumour.
Scans showed a cyst about the size of a soccer ball in the ovary on her right side. A tumour was wrapped around the massive growth.
Only 28 at the time, Ms Fong, a former flight attendant, was thrown into the bleakest period of her young adult life. Facing a cancer diagnosis at the first peak of the Covid-19 pandemic also tested her mental resilience like never before.
She lost an ovary and self-confidence while experiencing severe side effects from cancer treatment. There was also the fear that her ability to have children would be affected.
“Dealing with the side effects from treatment was one of the toughest things I’ve experienced. Another was having to deal with the changes in appearance and body image,” Ms Fong, now 30, said in an interview with TODAY to mark awareness week this month for adolescents and young adults who have cancer.
The annual global movement aims to raise awareness of the unique challenges young cancer patients and survivors face.
More at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...mer-air-stewardess-hope-baby-marriage-1887366
