How social support and love of friends gave breast cancer survivor the will to go on

When Christy Cheung, 34, was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2017 and underwent a mastectomy, her support network kept her positive

Cheung now supports other cancer patients thanks to a group she launched herself in February called Sharapy, which has 50 members

4-MIN READ4-MIN

It was thanks to her support network that 34-year-old freelance copywriter Christy Cheung was able to overcome breast cancer. Photo: Alamy

Published: 8:30am, 3 Jun 2019Updated: 10:27pm, 21 May 2020

Last July, the world witnessed the brave rescue of 12 Thai soccer players from a flooded cave in Thailand. The boys, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach – the only adult – relied on one another for emotional strength while waiting for help over 17 fraught days.

The coach taught them how to meditate to help them relax and reassured them that they would be OK. When the ordeal ended, mental health experts predicted that psychological trauma would be the biggest challenge the group would have to overcome – but that bouncing back might be easier thanks to the strong emotional connection and mutual support they had fostered while underground.

The group also prayed and fasted together at a monastery after their rescue. Such rituals bond people together and give a sense of comfort, security and belonging, says Dr Joyce Chao, a clinical psychologist at Dimensions Centre in Central, Hong Kong. Knowing that they had their community’s support would also have made the group more resilient, she adds, simply because it feels good to know that others care.

When it comes to recovering from a traumatic experience or crisis, it helps to have the support of the people around us. Christy Cheung, a 34-year-old freelance copywriter in Hong Kong, can attest to this.

Twelve Thai soccer players and their coach survived for 10 days in a partially flooded cave, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, Thailand, last July. Photo: AP

In November 2017, Cheung was diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer. Without the support and compassion of her loved ones, the whole experience would have felt a lot “scarier”, she says.