Editor’s Note: I’ve been writing articles about the importance of joy and humor when battling not only cancer but really any of life’s challenges. After my Catholic News Service article appeared in Singapore’s Catholic News, I received this email from Mrs. Selina Lim from Singapore that led to this post. — Olivia
Good morning,
Have read an article by Ms Olivia Clarke Silver in our Catholic News, Singapore.
I would like to share my daughter's blog page with other readers in your website. Her blog is www.kimberleygermaine.com
She had colorectal cancer at the age of 23. She wants to tell patients that they are never too young to have cancer. She also hope that her blog will reduce the stigma associated with cancer, and hopefully, help others be less fearful of the C-monster.
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I asked if I could have her daughter’s email so I could see if she wanted to write a post for the site. Mrs. Lim responded:
Thanks for your email. My daughter, Kimberley has passed on last month. Nevertheless, if it is convenient for you, please tell cancer patients to read her blog for encouragement. Please also help to create awareness to others to go for health check for early detection of cancer. Never give up on Faith and allow God to lead us to do His Will be done. Maybe the reason God gave Kimberley cancer so that she could experience it and used her gift for writing to create awareness.
I asked if Humor Beats Cancer could run one of Kimberleys’ blog posts from her site to remember her and she said yes.
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About Kimberley: In 2015, and at the tender age of 23, life decided to throw Kimberley a curveball and she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Colorectal Cancer. She only found out about cancer when she turned up at the emergency department unable to even stomach water.
Kimberley was aware of the symptoms of colorectal cancer and had raised the possibility with the doctors she saw, but was told repeatedly that she was too young to have it.
The first doctor’s diagnosis of her incessant vomiting was gastric flu, while the second thought it was irritable bowel syndrome. Both dismissed her suspicions of cancer. A hemicolectomy was scheduled, followed by 12 cycles of a chemotherapy protocol known as FOLFOX. But that wasn’t the end of the story. In 2017, just eight months after her last chemo session, a routine CT scan found that her ovaries were swelling and cancer was back.
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Posted Nov. 15, 2017
Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes
But it is the only thing that I know
When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes
It is the only thing that makes us feel alive
I spent Sunday night third wheeling and singing along to Mr. Sheeran. Yes, third-wheeling because unlike everyone else, I went to the concert with my parents.
Dad’s been quite a fan of Ed for quite a while now. A couple of years ago, there was a streaming of Ed performing at Wembley. Dad excitedly shouted to us “Hey come and see, Ed Sheeran is performing on TV!” We were, of course, surprised then that not only did he know who Ed was, he actually recognised Ed.
When Dad found out that he was performing here in Singapore, he happily told us that he would accept tickets to the concert for his Christmas present.
Of course he had no clue that tickets were in such high demand. Thankfully I was at home when tickets went on sale, and as such didn’t have to sell a kidney in order to purchase three tickets from Carousell.
We keep this love in a photograph
We made these memories for ourselves
Where our eyes are never closing
Hearts are never broken
And time’s forever frozen still
Seven months ago when I bought the tickets, I was less than a month post op. If you asked some of my closer friends, they would tell you that I wasn’t confident that I would make it to the concert. Seven months later, I checked two things off the bucket list – watching Ed perform live, and watching him perform with two of the most important people in my life.
Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes. Over the years like any other child, I have had my fair share of fights and arguments with my parents. In fits of anger nasty words were often spewn.
But it is the only thing that I know – one thing I realised recently is that the purpose of life is really love. Life is really about loving not just your friends and family, but loving the very marvelous creations around us, and of course loving and respecting every being.
When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes. It is the only thing that makes us feel alive.
It really is not easy to continue loving me, even as a friend. Thank you, Mummy and Daddy, for continuing to do so, and for all the friends that have stood by me these couple of months.
So you can keep me
Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans
Holding me closer ’til our eyes meet
You won’t ever be alone, wait for me to come home
Live boldy.