“I Felt A Deep Sense of Peace"
It happened the day that Teressa Tay’s son turned 15. In the warmth of their home on that evening in 2014, the family enjoyed a dinner and birthday cake. Her son also unwrapped his present which she had bought just hours earlier.
Amid the joyous celebration, there was no hint of the secret that Teressa had concealed; that very morning, she had been diagnosed with stage 3 thyroid cancer.
The diagnosis had been unexpected. She had visited her clinic to remove an orthopaedic boot from her fractured ankle when her doctor found signs of cancer and urgently called her to share the news. Sitting in the clinic, Teressa handled the shock with calmness. “I remember I felt a deep sense of peace beyond understanding. I did not cry,” she recalled.
Instead, she drove straight to East Coast beach. There, she spent three hours talking to God. “I asked for God’s grace to see me through this ordeal.” Picking up a stick, she wrote on the sands, “By Jesus stripes, I am healed!” Looking out into the endless ocean, she placed complete trust in her Creator’s healing power.
A single mother, Teressa had striven non-stop to ensure each of her three children would gain a university degree. Even in her darkest moment, her thoughts remained for them. She ended up sharing her diagnosis with her children only a fortnight later – after her son had finished his exams.
Hope for Healing
After undergoing surgery for cancer, Teressa could not work for four months. She has to deal with the side effects of the surgery. Most of her voice was gone and her left hand was paralysed. She was unable to move her head, lost her facial expressions, and even her ability to smile. She has to cope with the hardening of the left side of her ear, face, neck, and shoulder.
A series of therapies followed but this was not without setbacks. At one point, even her physiotherapist was skeptical about her chances, and told her to stop wasting time and money going to the hospital. Her doctor also asked her to accept things and move on. “However, I couldn’t accept it. I wanted to quickly get well and go back to work so that I can support my three children,” Teressa recounted.
She went on her knees to ask for God intervention and God answered her prayer and healed her miraculously. Within five days, God healed her totally. Every morning, she noticed significant improvement when she wake up – from being able to turn her head, regaining her voice, to regaining sensation in her paralysed hand, and facial expression and the softening of her left ear, face, neck and shoulder.
During those four months, Teressa read the entire Bible and found solace in its verses, which provided her with the strength to overcome her physical pain. "Every day, I experienced profound joy within me when I declared that the joy of the Lord is my strength." Despite her physical challenges, she still found time to help others. By the end of the year, she was honored with three awards at work: top achiever, most outstanding trainer, and a surprise Angel award.
A Second Battle
This was not the end of Teressa’s brush with cancer. Just six years later, in 2020, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
It came at an especially trying personal time after an ischemic stroke. Then, she lost her nephew, brother, sister, and eight friends, and was even deceived of a significant amount of money by her then business partner. The cancer diagnosis simply added to this maelstrom of stress and grief.
It was then that she turned to the Singapore Cancer Society (SCS) for help. Support came swiftly. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, she received two years of free counselling over Zoom from her social worker Michelle Hong, who had “remarkable patience and empathy”, providing her a source of comfort and encouragement.
She simultaneously enrolled in SCS’s art therapy classes. “Miss Kyl Lim, the art psychotherapist, visited my house and saw my artworks. She praised me for the beautiful art but I personally didn’t think it was good enough,” Teressa recalled.
Through Kyl’s guidance and encouragement, Teressa slowly navigated through her grief, depression and self-criticism. She even had the opportunity to present her art in several exhibitions and to former President of Singapore Mdm Halimah Yacob and also to the present President, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Reflecting on her journey, Teressa shared “It was through Singapore Cancer Society that I discovered this long-lost passion for art. It has provided me with purpose and fulfillment in life.”
A Double Cancer Survivor
Teressa is a “double cancer survivor,” and still standing after 10 years.
After her first cancer scare, she published a book, “Arise: The Power to be Extraordinary”, which she gives freely to cancer patients and single mothers. She is glad that her book has also touched prison inmates. Through this act of giving back, she hopes to create a ripple effect of resilience, positivity and relying on God who is the source for inner strength.
Giving back can also manifest through small acts of kindness. Teressa has purchased hair tonic for patients facing chemotherapy-induced hair loss, celebrated their birthdays and has assisted terminal patients in fulfilling their last wishes, such as enjoying their favourite foods and visiting places they long to see.
“One thing I wish more people understood about living with cancer is the importance of empathy and support,” she said. Each individual affected by the disease is enduring a long and tough road ahead. “By offering understanding, compassion, encouragement and practical assistance can make a significant difference in their journey.”