Maya’s Story

I remember visiting my mum in the hospital. I was worried and scared to see her for the first time. But she welcomed me in with her big smile and I could see in her eyes that she felt proud of herself. My mum overcame her rollercoaster ride by letting faith be bigger than her fear.

I didn’t think cancer would ever come knocking on our door. But knock loudly it did. I needed to be there for my family, to support my buba (grandmother) through breast cancer, and my mum and my aunty through BRCA diagnosis. Witnessing all that my family went through, the surgeries, the treatment, it really affected me. Throughout my whole life I’ve always wanted to do the best for my family. I wanted to make a difference but didn’t really know how.

When the opportunity came up to be part of The Nightside, I put up my hand up straight away. The idea of being the face of the reflex campaign was so exciting. To raise money for breast and ovarian research and show my family that I was supporting them and changing the future for others, I feel so proud that we did it together.

A very famous quote always comes to my mind, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. This really resonates with my family because they know that if any challenge gets in the way you can always overcome it with support. I can see that my family can empathise with people who go through similar journeys and give advice to people in need. As I grow older I want to be that person people can rely on and help them through hard times.

I’m proud of my mum, my aunty and my buba and I know they’re proud of me.