DEMI HARIRAYA.... (If Not for the Hariraya..)

Hariraya (Eidulfitri) is a very important and significant day in our life; for that matter, the lives of all Muslims throughout the world. Just like Christmas to the Christians. We prepare for the big day that comes at the end of Ramadhan (the fasting month). For Malaysians, we decorate our homes, buy new clothes for our childrens, bake some cookies and prepare for the balik-kampung. In the morning of Hariraya, we take bath (mandi sunat raya), put on our best clothes, springkle perfumes and walk to the nearest mosque for solat raya.

But what if you have an ulcerating, foul-smelling breast cancer like this.

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Your close friends wouldn't come near you, your childrens try to avoid you. Your last Hariraya becomes your worst Hariraya.

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This is exactly what this lady was expecting. So she came to me 5 days ago. She knew what she was having; CANCER. She hopped from one bomoh to another during the two years she had the lesion. When I saw her, she was anemic (pale) with Hb 5.0 gm%. The left breast busuk dan meloyakan, and bleeding noted from the edges. The underlying pectoralis muscle was involved. The axillary nodes were massive and fixed.

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Her request (or probably instruction) to me was simple : I want to celebrate the Hariraya, I don't want my friends and relatives to avoid me. . . . (with a please! at the end).

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So I offered her Toilet Mastectomy. Meaning removing the ulcerating cancer with palliative surgical intention. Surgeries for cancer can be either curative or palliative. In this case, it means to make her remaining days better without the foul-smelling and bleeding cancer. She agreed, so I transfused her with some blood and proceeded with the toilet mastectomy. (Toilet ini bukan jamban tapi maksud serupa; to ease and clean). Lucky that I managed to close the wound gap. Today she is going home, and beeming with smile on her face. Before I let her go, I explained to her the treatment that she should undergo after this Hariraya. That's include a chemotherapy, radiotherapy and even hormonal therapy. I even warned her that the cancer would come back in no time should she defaults treatment.

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With the smile on her face, I reallyI hope she understands what I mean and takes my advice seriously. With proper treatment this Hariraya Eidulfitri 1430 H shouldn't be her last. WalLahu 'aklam. As for me, this is one occasion that I am bersyukur that God has made me a surgeon; giving hope to the 'hopeless' and cheer them for the Hariraya.

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SELAMAT HARI RAYA, MAAF ZAHIR BATIN untuk semua pembaca !