The best kind of help

Gabrielle Lau Kwai-ying was 33, with a promising future in a commercial bank when she was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago.

To fight the disease, she underwent radiotherapy, chemotherapy and two operations.

'I was not prepared, there was not enough information. When you face treatment, you know nothing. The disease is one thing but the great challenge is the treatment,' she recalls.

There were numerous other trials she had to face.

'After treatment your emotions become very uncontrolled and the medicine can make you feel very depressed and full of doubt.

'The physical pain is nothing compared to the psychological pain. You can't control your feelings, you need someone who has been through this pain to help you,' Lau says.

'But the doctors just don't know because they haven't been through this experience.' That was when Lau joined The New Horizon Club and learned how to fight cancer.

'Self-help is the greatest help. I made friends with whom I could share my experiences. It helped me rebuild my confidence in my work and my family.

'I have grown a lot spiritually. There are fewer younger people who contract cancer - we can do more promotion for the public. We need to let them know how to manage,' she says.

The experience proved cathartic, and Lau felt inspired to start a 'new life'. The result: she now works full time for the club, serving the more than 400 members.

'It means so much to all of us to be able to share what we've been through and show others that the disease is not the end but the beginning of an opportunity to grow.'