The year was about 1989. I was living in Nallur Road and Puay Luan was living at Bayshore. As I cycled out to church on Sundays for the second service, Puay Luan would be returning home after the first service. That was how we met and made friends. In about 1996, Puay Luan found that she's got breast cancer. She had the usual treatments. If she had a masectomy, things would be been different today. She had a localized operation to remove the tumour. Just before the 5-year period that would have heralded the successful remission of the c.a., she had a relapse.
Everytime I read about people who passed away from c.a., the usual description would be so-and-so lost the battle to c.a. after a number of years. Why do they say that? Passing away due to an illness or disease is equated to having lost the battle. I have always been against that notion. If the c.a. failed to completely distress the person, I think the person had won. If the c.a. failed to take its full toll, I believe the person had won. And if the c.a. failed to restrict any good moments, the person had most certainly won.
As for Puay Luan - she won c.a. by a blessed, glorious margin, praise The Lord. Inspite of it, Puay Luan lived fully, courageously, in peace and in the joy and strength of God. She restored and reconciled her personal relationships with many people. She brought comfort, advice and happiness to many others. She lived a testimony of God's love. And claimed innumerable victories moment by moment, day by day and year by year. Puay Luan returned to glory last year on 1 Oct. No, she did not lose the battle to c.a. She beat it to a pulp and kicked it behind her footsteps. I thank God for crossing our friendship path. I am so proud to have Puay Luan as a friend, and one who rose far above c.a. by the grace of our God. The photo above showed me visiting Puay Luan's home on Christmas Day 2006.
Puay Luan was staying with Mrs L H Tan about a decade ago. Although it was for only about a year and a half, they remained firm friends. Puay Luan would always praise the kindness and motherly love that Mrs Tan showered on her, to me. That was how I met Mrs Tan. After Puay Luan's passing on, I kept in contact with Mrs Tan. The photo showed Mrs Tan and I having dinner recently at AMK Hub - because Mrs Tan lives just 4 blocks away from mine! Mrs Tan is a godly woman. All her three sons have theological qualifications and two of them are Pastors, praise Jesus! Her youngest and only daughter and her family live in Melbourne. Mrs Tan continues to make home visitations every week with her church pastors and members.
I am indeed blessed to have known Puay Luan and Mrs Tan by God's divine appointments. They are more than friends, for - they are sisters in Christ.
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