Exclusive Story by WeirdKaya- Proper accreditation to WeirdKaya and consent from the interviewee are required.
For most people, running a full marathon is a test of endurance. But for Mazwin, a mother of three who works in a hospital, it was a celebration of life, and a statement that she refused to be defined by cancer that she faced not once, but twice.
And in 2025, while recovering from her second bout with cancer, Mazwin completed her first 42KM marathon and raised RM17,500 for breast cancer awareness.
But her story didn’t start at the starting line. It began in the quiet of her bedroom with one simple touch and one discovery that changed everything.
A lump that shook her world
It was ten years ago when life took an unexpected turn. Mazwin, who works at a hospital, admitted with a soft shake of the head that she hadn’t prioritised checking on herself.
One random night before bed, she felt something small and almost dismissible — a lump in her breast.
The next day, I went to see a breast surgeon. After the scan, the doctor said it looked suspicious. My heart just dropped.”
After imaging and tests, the diagnosis came: Stage 2 HER2-positive breast cancer, and a sizable lump, though it was still localised.
I remember sitting in the doctor’s room, my mind going completely blank. I didn’t even cry until I broke the news to my best friend, who helped me come to terms with my cancer diagnosis.
“To be honest, I wasn’t scared for myself, but more for my kids as they were still very young and needed me by their side.”
At that time, Mazwin’s eldest son was 9, her daughter was 7, and her youngest toddler was close to turning 3.
My little girl, who just entered primary school, cried at school when she found out I had to go for treatment. She cried so hard that I had to pick her up from school even before her classes ended.
“That’s when it really hit me. I couldn’t fall apart. I had to live for them.”
Thankfully, Mazwin’s husband stood by her side, supporting her choices and following her lead every step of the way.
Soon after, Mazwin travelled back to her hometown to break the news to her extended family. Her family, although devastated when they first heard the news, stepped up to give her the love and support she needed.
I was lucky enough to have my nephew come to my house to take care of my children when I was going through the therapy,” she added.
Pushing through the pain
What followed was a storm Mazwin could never have prepared for. She had a lumpectomy, followed by six cycles of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy.
Her six cycles of chemotherapy were with two different combinations of drugs, with different side effects each session.
The first cycle was okay. The second was bad. But by the third round, I felt like giving up on life,” she recounted.
One afternoon in the treatment room, she broke down in tears, and a nurse asked if she was alright.
I told her to just leave me alone, as I couldn’t bring myself to talk it out. I just wanted to get through it.”
Every cycle brought new challenges — fatigue, nausea, hair fall, appetite loss, and pain that crawled into her body and bones. In fact, it was so bad that she could barely get out of bed on some days.
The fifth cycle was the worst. I had severe mouth ulcers. Even swallowing was a huge challenge.”
Mazwin also missed out on her children’s sports days and school events as she was unable to stand under the sun or among the crowd.
Not being there for them was the hardest part. I felt like I was failing as a mom.”
But even through the exhaustion, Mazwin clung to one thought: finish the treatment, no matter how painful it was.
Knowing what the whole process was like helped me prepare mentally. But it was still hard. You just push through, one day at a time.”
Mazwin’s sole saving grace was her workplace, where she was surrounded by quiet kindness.
My treatment was done in the same hospital where I worked. The nurses and doctors were like my family. They made sure I never felt alone,” she said.
Learning to heal
When her treatments ended, Mazwin thought her suffering was coming to an end. But the recovery process turned out to be another uphill battle.
Her body felt foreign, fragile, unsteady, and constantly in pain. She even had to teach herself how to eat again.
“I started drinking milk… something I never liked before,” she said.
Learning to care for herself was also a foreign subject to her.
For years, I only knew how to take care of others, like my patients, my kids, my family. Suddenly, I had to put myself first. It felt selfish at first, but I learned that it was necessary.”
But Mazwin’s body wasn’t done testing her just yet. A year after finishing treatment, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) in her lymph nodes.
I had a fever that wouldn’t go away. Then a lump the size of a tennis ball grew under my arm. I had to take TB medication for a year, and a surgery was performed to remove the infected node, leaving me with limited arm movement.
“It was frustrating. You think the worst is over, then something new happens.”
Months later, Mazwin had another health scare: this time in the form of a “shadow” appearing on her right breast during a routine check-up.
It felt like history repeating itself. The mammogram, the wait for biopsy results, every beep of the hospital monitor reminded me of the past.”
But this time, the news was different.
It wasn’t cancer. I was so thankful. I told myself, ‘I don’t think I could do this again.’”
Running into a better life
Another huge approach to regaining her life and putting her focus on herself was starting to run.
I started exercising because my oncologist said it would help. I had never exercised regularly before this, so I started with running, because it was the most affordable and simplest way to kickstart.”
That small step became her weekend ritual. And somewhere along the way, she realised: she wasn’t running away from her illness. She was running toward herself.
Running didn’t force me to be extroverted, but it gave me a way to heal. I could run, sweat, and the adrenaline rush made me feel stress-free and alive.”
Soon, Mazwin joined the Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA) Malaysia and other breast cancer support groups, where she met fellow cancer survivors who encouraged her to keep going.
Her passion for running slowly turned from small routines into something bigger: charity runs, awareness campaigns, and eventually, fundraisers.
In 2022, Mazwin completed her first half-marathon, where she ran to raise funds for the National Cancer Society Malaysia.
Two years later, she decided to push herself even further by taking on a gruelling 30-kilometre run.
10th year cancer-versary celebration with 42km marathon
This year, Mazwin marked her 10-year “cancer-versary.” To celebrate, she decided to take on her biggest challenge yet – the Score Marathon, her first-ever full 42km run, with a fundraising goal for Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA) Malaysia.
I wanted to give back to the people who supported me when I needed it most,” she said.
But just when training began, her annual checkup revealed another twist: a growth appeared in her thyroid, and the biopsy confirmed it to be Stage 1 thyroid cancer, leaving her to wonder whether the 42km marathon was still possible.
After undergoing a total thyroidectomy, Mazwin was ordered to rest. However, she kept training quietly, determined to finish what she started.
No one told me to stop. They knew I would still do it anyway,” she laughed.
Three months after her diagnosis and two months after her surgery, Mazwin stood at the starting line — not as a patient, but as a runner.
Six hours and seven minutes later, she crossed the finish line. Her legs were burning, her body exhausted, but her heart was full.
I couldn’t believe I did it. My first full marathon, while still in treatment. I was so happy, not just for myself, but because it was for a cause.”
Her run raised RM17,500 for breast cancer awareness, a way of giving back to the same community that once held her up.
If I can beat cancer, a full marathon is nothing,” she said with a smile.
‘Be aware of your body’
When asked what she’d say to someone who’s freshly diagnosed with cancer, Mazwin had this to say:
There’s always a way through. Find the right treatment, find your support system. You don’t have to do it alone. You can beat cancer.”
She emphasised the importance of not trying out luck with non-scientific, weird methods or treatments out there.
One thing to take away for everyone reading about her journey? Health isn’t something you should take for granted.
Take care of your body. Check yourself frequently. Exercise, cut processed food and sugar. I want them to know that life doesn’t stop because things get hard. You just learn to move differently.”
If Mazwin could talk to the woman she once was, sitting in that cold doctor’s office a decade ago and hearing the word “cancer” for the first time, she’d say:
Be more alert with your body. Do the BSE (breast self-examination) every month. Thank God you found out about the cancer earlier, or else everything would be even harder.”
Read more:
Exclusive Story by WeirdKaya – If you wish to reproduce this story, please ensure that you obtain consent from the interviewee to maintain factual accuracy and avoid the potential spread of misleading information.
If referencing or using any information from our story, we kindly ask that proper credit is given, along with a backlink to WeirdKaya, as acknowledgment of the efforts made by our editors in sourcing and conducting interviews.
