‘It’s not a death sentence’

Sheer determination: Koh is ready to take on the 700km Sepeda Amal Borneo ride that will have her cycling from Kuching to Bintulu, Sarawak.

PETALING JAYA: For Koh Lee Lee, keeping an active lifestyle has always been part of her daily routine.

Since discovering her passion for cycling nine years ago, the 43-year-old has never looked back.

Having taken part in various races locally and even abroad, Koh’s passion has seen her tour across parts of Japan, Thailand, Laos and even Taiwan.

This year, Koh has another goal. To cycle over 700km in a ride dubbed Sepeda Amal Borneo, where participants will be cycling from Kuching to Bintulu, Sarawak, over six days.

One thing most may not know about Koh, despite her active lifestyle, she is a cervical cancer survivor.

“I was diagnosed with stage 3C cervical cancer in January last year.

“It was shocking when I first learnt about it. There was so much disbelief, and I wasn’t sure how to react.

“My first thoughts were – what am I going to do now? Is this the end?” she said in an interview.

The fighting spirit in Koh, developed from years of pushing her physical limits, instead saw her mustering the strength to take the situation head-on.

The most challenging part, Koh said, was coping with the side effects that came with chemotherapy treatment.

“It was hard to sleep, and I had constant muscle soreness. I also had to mentally accept what had happened.

“Coming to terms with the reality of the situation was especially challenging,” said Lee, who concluded her chemotherapy treatment in August of the same year.

Koh, who has a full-time position at an IT company while also running her own cycling jersey business, leaned back on cycling to help her overcome this.

“Even as I underwent chemotherapy, I always made it a point to exercise.

“I continued cycling for at least an hour on the weekends while doing other resistance exercises,” she said.

“Most importantly, however, I had to stay in tune with my body. Whenever I felt tired, I gave myself some rest, but when I felt okay, I pushed slightly more,” she said.

In preparation for her upcoming ride, Koh participated in rides ranging from 30 to 40km on the weekends with various cycling groups.

She said the 700km ride is an equally daunting yet exciting prospect for her to take up.

“I’ve never ridden over such a distance in six days before. Regardless, I am looking forward to it and will try my best,” she said.

She said the main reason she chose to join the ride, organised by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and MMA Foundation in support of the Rose Foundation, was due to its theme of raising awareness of cervical cancer among women.

The Rose Foundation is focused on eliminating cervical cancer among Malaysian women.

“I chose to join this ride to play my little part in raising awareness about cervical cancer,” Koh said.

“Cancer is neither a death sentence nor the end of the world. You can always take control of your life,” she added.