The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.113)

TZU CHI 113 23 Peas in a pod Siew Ching grew up in Kuantan, Pahang in a family of seven. Her parents managed to make ends meet by running a tailoring shop with their relatives. Siew Ching is the second among five siblings; she has an elder sister, two younger sisters and a younger brother. She was a diligent student and earned a place in the Pharmacy degree programme at the University of Science, Malaysia (USM). Siew Shia later gained entry to the Chemistry programme at the same university. Both Siew Ching and Siew Shia had been schoolmates from primary school through university, hence, the latter would seek advice from her older sibling whenever necessary. Siew Ching settled in the Klang Valley to build her career after graduating from university. At 28, she was already managing her own pharmacy. In the early stages of her entrepreneurial venture, she worked gruelling hours six days a week. She roped in Siew Shia to assist her at the pharmacy upon observing less favourable working conditions at the latter’s former workplace. The sisters, along with their youngest sibling, Siew Wei, moved into the same property together and started looking out for each other. “Ah B (as Siew Shia was fondly known) was mainly in charge of looking after us as she was more adept at managing household chores. She was like a parent to us; she would ensure the door is locked and the gas stove turned off before going to sleep every night,” recalled Siew Ching. In 2003, Siew Ching bought the family a house and invited her parents to relocate from Kuantan to stay with her and her siblings. Siew Shia eventually met her other half through a mutual connection. The couple tied the knot in 2010 and Siew Shia moved to Singapore, where her husband was based, and worked on developing her career. Alas, her life was thrown off track when least expected. “She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer only a year after her marriage. She was planning to have a child,” Siew Ching divulged. Home at last SiewChing’s family had initially perceived Singapore’s medical infrastructure as superior to that of Malaysia’s, but after undergoing a partial mastectomy in Singapore, in addition to chemotherapy and radiotherapy procedures, Siew Shia’s surgical wound failed to heal, secreting blood and an unpleasant odour instead. The cancer relapsed in July 2013. Siew Shia was advised by her family to return to Malaysia for treatment, for they were concerned that the demanding pressures of life in Singapore were hindering her recovery. She was then overseeing both the Singaporean and Malaysian markets of the company she was working for, allowing her to shift her base to Malaysia to recuperate while on the job. Back home, Siew Ching and her mother took Siew Shia under their care. Siew Shia’s condition remained stable for some time, during which she even travelled to Japan with her mother. In late 2014, however, a heated conflict with her husband triggered yet another relapse. But this time around, chemotherapy was no longer effective. Her chemotherapy regimen dragged on for a year until January 21, 2016, when the doctor had exhausted all medication options and had no choice but to transfer her to the hospice care department. Sadly, Siew Shia sustained a fall at home and was rushed to the UMMC where she passed away peacefully on January 29, 2016. CarryingOn with Cancer