22-year-old woman refuses to give up as both she and her mum battle cancer
Jaden Darrius Png
TNP
February 7, 2025
At the age 13, Ms Puteri Nur Afiqah Abdul Latiff's life changed dramatically when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
"I used to be very active, I loved to cycle," she told Berita Harian.
"But things changed drastically after my diagnosis."
She spent a lot of time recuperating at home and her friends started to distance themselves as they thought she was playing truant.
"They saw me as a delinquent and would be a bad influence on them."
Ms Puteri underwent surgery to remove the 8cm tumour that had grown near her vocal cords.
A year after her diagnosis in 2016, she developed scoliosis as a result of her cancer surgery.
"The doctor didn't allow me to undergo surgery or wear a spinal brace because I was a year late in correcting my spine," she explained.
Ms Puteri, now 22, relies on thyroxine medication to manage the cancer.
She lives with her mother in a two-room rental flat in Marine Parade.
Her 64-year-old mother has breast cancer and is rather immobile.
Ms Puteri is determined to find a full-time job - an uphill task due to her condition.
