“Do not let your fears, struggles, and perceived limitations define and stop you from living the best life that God has designed for you. My first defence against cancer was my strong faith in God, and with that comes positivity and mental strength to overcome it”.

Those were the words of Malou Caluza, a QNET corporate leadership team member who successfully overcame Breast Cancer a few years ago. October is breast cancer awareness month, and today we bring you Malou’s story of courage, faith, and a fight that made her stronger than ever.

Malou was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in 2016. Initially, she was shocked and overwhelmed by the news. Her surgery was scheduled a mere seven days after her diagnosis and she barely had time to process what was happening as the doctors put her through numerous tests before the surgery.

“It was scary and nerve-wracking,” she recalls.  She found herself dreading the outcome and expecting the worst. She turned to her strongest anchor after her family – her faith in God. Prayers helped her get through the sleepless nights.

The surgeons did a lumpectomy procedure, which is the removal of the malignant tumour. After the surgery, doctors discovered that her lymph node also had cancer cells and they needed to be removed as well.  After the surgeries, the real battle began when her treatment plan started. This included multiple cycles of chemotherapy, target therapy, and radiation therapy. She also consulted different oncologists and spent time researching and talking to experts to be better prepared for the outcome.

Malou credits her first line of defence as her strong faith in God, which kept her positive and mentally strong. She is extremely thankful for her support system, including her husband, three sons, family members, friends, bosses, co-workers and even customers who cheered her on in this fight and kept her going through the struggles as the exhaustion and pain worsened.

She shaved her head before her chemotherapy session as she did not want to let fear and cancer define her life. Initially, she had mixed emotions, partly nervous, partly wanting to cry, and just wanting to get it done.

“I remember feeling a massive weight go off my shoulders and a sense of strength filling me as I shaved my head. I had to remind myself that this was just my physical appearance. I kept telling myself I was bald because I was fighting cancer. I felt strong and ready to take on the battle and win.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer globally in 2020, and 685,000 deaths were recorded. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Malou has these inspiring words for all those out there who may be facing struggles, uncertainty, or a seemingly difficult diagnosis.

“We need strong faith in God, a loving support system and deeper mental toughness from within. I decided that I wouldn’t let fear and cancer define my life. I chose courage. I chose resilience. I chose faith. I chose gratitude. Was it easy? Definitely not. But once I decided to be courageous, everything became possible, including my healing. Every day, we get to decide on things that will help us become better and stronger. Always keep your eyes on the bigger picture. Make your decisions wisely, with all your heart. You woke up today. You are strong. You are blessed. You can overcome. You can DO!”