Cancer fighter receives bad news

In March, cancer fighter Shaunice Dean was filled with optimism after a CT scan revealed that the tiny tumour in her liver was not growing.

As she puts up a fierce battle against colon and liver cancer, the 30-year-old mother of a 10-year-old son had regained weight and was ready to move on with her life. Unfortunately, in May, Dean received devastating news that the tumour was growing significantly. Speaking with THE STAR yesterday, she said the news drove her to a state of depression.

"I was very disappointed when I just got the news that the tumour has grown, because it has been there for the past year and didn't grow. I was depressed but I am in survival mode now. I am ready to do all that I can to beat this," she said. "The public hospitals don't have any more treatment available so I have a visit with an oncologist to see if the private sector has options. I am also searching for hospitals overseas to possibly accept my case so I can get treatment," she said.

Dean was diagnosed with stage two cancer in 2020. Her condition worsened within two years, progressing to stage four, which eventually led to a gloomy 'one year to live' prognosis. She proved her prognosis wrong, stating that July 24 will be 1,000 days since she has been fighting for her life.

Yesterday, Dean said she felt physically tired and has not been her chirpy self for a while. She said that she has been experiencing excruciating abdominal pain, and the agony is unbearable most days. She said an upcoming MRI will give more details, so she keeps her fingers crossed for the best news. Despite her pain, she continues to write daily letters to her son.

"I am now trying to find a balance. Fighting to survive but decided to start living too, which means I am going to find ways to be happy and continue making memories with my son as much as I am able to," Dean said. She said she recently lost a friend to cancer and that experience was extremely depressing.

"We met on TikTok over a year ago and we became really close as we both shared similar fights. Unfortunately, her journey came to an end but she was strong throughout it all. It was my first time experiencing losing someone close to me because of cancer. I really miss her. Losing her made me depressed because I started to wonder if I was next," she said.

"After going through the different phases and thought processes, I prayed non-stop and found the strength to continue my fight. We were supposed to beat this together and now I will do it for her. I keep reminding myself that everyone's story is different and my story will be that I have beaten cancer," Dean added.

Persons wishing to assist Shaunice Dean continue her fight against cancer may donate at https://gofund.me/8025e367