KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — Zatul Hejanah Abdulila is a stage four breast cancer fighter but she is always first and foremost a mother.

Her 12-year-old daughter Dalili Sofiya Zulkifri has cerebral palsy (CP), a neurological disorder that requires Zatul to dedicate extra care and attention when it comes to raising her.

Zatul herself was diagnosed in breast cancer six years ago and may have to go undergo chemotherapy in March due to lung complications.

This means that every day is an arduous battle between Zatul and two major illnesses but you will hardly ever catch the mother of two complaining about life.

Her fighting spirit has led her to become the director of Malaysian Advocates for Cerebral Palsy (MyCP), a support group for children, individuals, and families of those living with CP.

When asked how she found the strength to work despite battling a life-threatening disease herself, Zatul cited love and support from family and friends as being indispensable in maintaining her physical and mental wellbeing throughout this challenging journey.

Religion also plays an important role in giving her a sense of security during hard times.

"It is very important to share and communicate my concerns so others would know how to support me.

"No matter what faith you hold, pray and believe that everything happens for a reason,” she told Malay Mail.

Prior to MyCP’s inception, the 41-year-old said she felt lost when it came to educating herself about her daughter’s disease due to a lack of available resources, all while struggling with the financial burden of CP treatment costs.

"There was so little information available on and off the Internet,” she added.

Hence, more awareness and education is needed to dispel persisting myths about CP in society so kids with CP and their caretakers can access the help that they need.

Among the misconceptions Zatul mentioned included CP being a contagious disease, having no hope of seeing improvement in CP individuals, and CP being caused by physical mishaps or supernatural encounters during pregnancy.

These false stereotypes have only fueled Zatul’s motivations to continue working with MyCP in educating the public about the disorder.

The gutsy mother of two’s aspirations to make the country a better place for children living with the neurological disease recently materialised in a charity concert to raise funds for MyCP.

"Art of Music” was organised by the Graduate School of Business (UKM-GSB) under Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in collaboration with MyCP on January 12 to show off the talents of the CP community onstage while pooling donations for charity.

Forty five performances were showcased at the Permata Pintar National Gifted Centre auditorium at UKM with dancing, singing, and storytelling among the highlights of the show.

UKM-GSB dean Assoc Prof Dr Puan Yatim said the aim of the concert was to spread factual information about CP to the public while giving a much-needed boost to the morale of the community.

CP is a heavy burden on a family’s finances as medical costs can be 10 times more expensive compared to taking care of a normal child, Zatul said in a press release for the event.

"Malaysian society’s awareness about CP is so low that many negative perceptions about the community continue to crop up.

"Early treatment can reduce the complications of CP and allow the individual to be more independent and have a better quality of life in the future.”