Those battling cancer will tell you that having a solid support system is vital in their recovery.
In the case of 11-year-old Dhea Sahara Shaifuddin, it was her mother, Suhana Mohd Zadir (main image), who has been by her side since her diagnosis in early 2023, that gave her the will to live.
Suhana, who lost her husband, Shaifuddin Saim, in July 2022, was six months pregnant when she was informed that Dhea Sahara had Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The stress of sending her daughter to the hospital and trying to keep a business afloat took its toll, and Suhana suffered a miscarriage.
“I worked in a cake shop inside a mall in Ipoh and took over the business when my boss quit. However, I had to close the outlet as I was fined RM500 for repeatedly closing it when I needed to go to the hospital,” said Suhana, who survives on a monthly cheque of RM1,378 from her husband’s Social Security Organisation (Socso) account.
“I then suffered a miscarriage six months into the pregnancy.
“Since then, it has just been Dhea Sahara and myself. I only have RM1,378 a month to cover our rental, bills, petrol for an old Proton Waja that belonged to my husband, and food. We don’t have much, but we survive.”
Suhana now devotes her time to looking after Dhea Sahara, who will enter Standard Six in the next school term in March.
“It is a struggle, but I’m glad that Dhea Sahara has been given a clean bill of health after her battle with cancer. She is a strong girl, and it warms my heart that she fought and managed to beat cancer,” said Suhana, 43.
“I’m grateful for such a strong daughter, who could smile and joke – even when she was bald from the chemotherapy. Some say I’m strong, but she is the strongest person I know.”
Suhana said she knew Dhea Sahara was “special” as she was a “miracle baby”.
“My husband and I were married for 10 years and always wanted a child. After we nearly gave up hope, Dhea Sahara was born. There must be a reason she came into our lives,” said Suhana.
“That was why I knew, even when the doctors confirmed that she had cancer, Dhea Sahara could beat it. She defied the odds to be born in the first place.”
Suhana said she is grateful that Dhea Sahara has never once questioned why she had cancer and makes do with what little they have.
“We hardly go out to eat as it is too expensive. We make do with what we have at home. Simple food, but cooked with love,” said Suhana, who suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure.
“I treat her to outside food occasionally, but even then, nothing extravagant. We have to count every sen as the Socso cheques are not enough.
“I’m grateful that I have a kind-hearted landlord who is charging me below the market rate.”
Suhana added that during the Movement Control Order when Covid-19 reached Malaysian shores in 2020, the landlord didn’t collect rent for a few months.
“There were months I was short of money as I was going up and down to the hospital because of Dhea Sahara’s condition; he never pushed for payment,” said Suhana, an only child, whose parents are no longer around.
“I feel sorry that we can’t go on holiday during the school break or long weekends. We usually go for a drive, but the car is getting old, and repairs cost a lot. The tyres are also balding.”
Suhana said there are some relatives around their neighbourhood in Ipoh, but they are busy with their families.
“At the end of the day, it is just us two. Life is a struggle, but as long as we are together, I know we can survive anything.”
Meanwhile, Dhea Sahara paid tribute to her mother, saying that she hopes to become a teacher when she grows up so she can help others in the same way that Suhana helped her.
“My mum sacrificed a lot for me, and I hope to repay her by becoming a teacher,” she said.
”A teacher helps others become better people, and that is what I hope to do.
”My mum is kind and loving, and I want to be just like her when I grow up.”
