"It's humiliating for me to ask for public donations for my cancer treatment," admits ailing actress Azean Irdawaty. "But I don't have a choice. My medical bills cost RM30,000 a month and I'm the major breadwinner in the family."
The Malay movie queen, who is now bedridden, is battling stage four cancer. The cancer has already spread to her spinal chord, according to her doctor.
"I tried going to a government hospital, but they mistreated me," she claims. "So I'm in Beacon because a fan, who is a doctor here, is kind enough to sponsor my treatment for a week."
Her huge financial burden is made up of CyberKnife (the latest radiosurgery treatment for tumours), endless medication, private nurses, physiotherapist, adult diapers and legal fees for her troubled son - actor Benjy - who was arrested on suspicion of drug abuse last year.
But Azean, well loved for her charisma as an actress - playing everything from a haughty Datin to HIV-positive patient to jilted wife - is not one to weep in self-pity.
Despite being confined to her hospital bed in Beacon Hospital in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, the 61-year-old displays strong fighting spirit, saying "I am not the type to lament and ask ‘Why me?’ I choose to stay positive. I want to feel good. I like to celebrate every single moment of my life."
Azean refuses to look sick - so much that she insists on wearing make-up in the hospital!
"When I was first diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2007, the doctor said I had only two years to live and asked me to write a will," she recollects with a laugh. "But I told him I had asked God for another 20 years. And I'm still around."
Generous fans who wish to help Azean can bank in their donations to her RHB Bank account: 16240100009490.
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