Being diagnosed with cancer at a young age can stir up a range of emotions, from fear and anger to anxiety to sadness. May Yeung understands this well.
In 2019, at just 30 years old, the Hong Kong-based artist was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer after a year-long struggle with headaches, abdominal pain, cold sweats and fever.
Yeung, who specialises in sculpture-making, was at the peak of her career; just three days before the diagnosis, she won a Hong Kong Top 10 Outstanding Young Artists Award at the Youth Arts Festival organised by the Hong Kong Playground Association.
She had surgery the following week and later underwent a lymph node biopsy and radiotherapy. Her diagnosis made her question her identity and ambitions.
“I felt uncertainty, particularly as I navigated interrupted milestones in my career, education, marriage and starting a family,” says the 36-year-old, who was born in Australia, grew up in Hong Kong, and then studied and worked in the United States before returning to Hong Kong in 2015.
Yeung considered her options for having children in the future and, following the advice of an oncology nurse at the Hong Kong Cancer Fund (HKCF), froze her eggs before starting radiotherapy.
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