Mardianah Mohd Yusof

President

I was born in 1957. Coming from a rural area and a family of 12 siblings, I knew I have to work hard if I wanted to be successful in life.

My parents moved to the town of Batu Pahat in Johor when I was 7 years old, and there was where I got my primary education. I excelled in school and managed to get a place in one of the 2 girls’ boarding schools in 1969. Again after finishing well in Sekolah Tun Fatimah, Johor Bahru in 1975, I was offered a scholarship to further my studies to Australia. After matriculation, I went on to study Civil Engineering in the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia.

After graduating in 1981, I came back to Johor and started my career as an engineer with the Johor State Economic Development Corporation. I met my husband there, and we got married in 1983. We were blessed with a beautiful son in 1985, and I thought life couldn’t have been better.

My life took a change in 1988 when I was just about to deliver my second child. My first son who was then about 3 ½ years old at that time was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. My career was short lived, took care of my sick son until he was in remission. Due to the financial strain that my husband has to bear, I went back to work. The hospital visits went on and my life also went on and we were again blessed with another son in 1991 and we moved into our present residence in Ipoh.

After 5 years free of cancer, I thought my son was cured but it came as a shocker when my son had a relapse in early 1995. He struggled as the cancer advanced and the treatments failed to overcome it and he passed away on 1^st November 1995. He was only 10 ½ years old. May he rest in peace!

My heart was not in my work after that, again I stopped work in 1997. In 1998 I took up golf as a hobby and spent most of my time travelling and enjoying the game with my husband and friends.

Another shock came in my life when I was diagnosed with breast cancer stage 2 in April 2002. I was 45 years old. To my surprise I still have the willpower to fight this dreadful disease even after it had claim my son’s life. I managed to go through the mastectomy and the 25 cycles of radiotherapy. Then I was put on hormonal treatment by taking tamoxifen daily for 5 years.

Family and friends do help, but having a breast cancer survivor would certainly be a bigger help as she has experienced a similar journey in the past. With the help of some medical professionals and some survivors, we started a support group in the state of Perak in 2005 and as the president of Persatuan Pink Champion Perak. I am determined to use my experience to help another woman recovering from breast cancer.

The cancer doesn’t really bother me anymore because it has been 10 years since I was dignosed. My life is blessed with loving family members and my two groups of loving friends, the ‘golfer friends’ and the Pink Champions (the breast cancer survivors).