Emelyne shows her book ‘The Journey to Becoming Fearless: A Story of Hope, Courage & Strength’.
KUCHING: A thalassemia survivor has launched a book entitled ‘The Journey to Becoming Fearless: A Story of Hope, Courage & Strength’, which tells about her experience growing up with and overcoming multiple medical diagnoses.
Emelyne Carmen Ho, 20, was first diagnosed with Beta‐Thalassemia major when she was four and underwent matched unrelated bone marrow transplant in 2006, which was successful.
She was, however, subsequently informed that she was suffering from Graft-Versus-Host disease – an auto-immune disease that causes permanent balding and discolouration of the face.
“After 2007, I return to school and was bullied, shunned and ostracised. I was teased with unkind names and words due to my physical appearance. I had gained so much weight due to the medicines I had taken.
“Nevertheless, after opening up and reaching out to my parents and teachers for help, things got better,” she said during the book launch here yesterday.
However, Emelyne faced another devastating blow when in 2009, she was diagnosed with bilateral cataracts, followed by hormonal insufficiency in 2010 and a few months later, atopic eczema.
“My hands turned so red, so dry and cracked and the pain was so excruciating that it was enough to make me bawl my eyes out,” she recalled.
Her medical ordeal was not over as she was also diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes.
“Five medical diagnoses within a span of 12 years and, being a young girl who’s so keen to pursue my dream, I had to fight countless battles against my illness, and despair was inevitable,’ she added.
On her book, Emelyne expressed her hope for it to inspire others to never give up, and to have courage in the face of adversity, while also accepting and embracing one’s flaws.
Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dato Sri Michael Manyin, and Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Community Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah were also present at the event.