Cheah Liyen, 46, Preschool Principal

Although pain can incapacitate one, Liyen’s experience is living proof that mind can rule over matter. When she first started having pain at her fingers and knees 3 years ago, the single mother was so determined to ignore her agony that she carried on her daily activities with only painkillers.

Her hectic lifestyle did not allow her time to think for herself, and she continued to bear with the pain, reassuring herself that it was just rheumatism or over-stretching at the gym. She continued working, although she did explain to her children, employees and the children at her preschool that she was unwell and needed their cooperation.

“The support I got from the people around me was heart-warming and kept me going even when I wanted to do was withdraw into my own world. There was even a time I was in such pain that my children, aged 17 and 15 then, had to help me put on my underwear,” she reveals.

When her daughter received a letter of acceptance into an Australian University, Liyen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. While she was happy for her daughter, her condition would not allow her to attend to her girl’s registrations. It was at this point that she sought treatment.

“The rheumatologist was shocked at my level of pain tolerance and immediately put me on aggressive treatment to stop my disease from progressing,” she relates. The pain is now reduced to a more manageable level.

“I am very independent and appreciate the fact that I can take care of myself again. My pain made me feel like a 95-year-old who need nursing care and I don’t want to feel that way again. I’m glad to be able to greet each new day instead of lying there waiting for someone to lift my blanket. It’s like having a new lease of life,” says Liyen who has since signed up as a AFM member and look forward to participating in the support group activities.