Anie was born in Medan, North Sumatra - Indonesia on 24 August 1974. She was the second youngest in her family and had a sister and 3 brothers. Her family moved to Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia) when Anie was only 4 years old. Anie had been married for 4 years right up to several months after the diagnosis, but later separated from her husband, during her illness. I remember the first time I made a long distance call to Anie after her diagnosis. It was clear that Anie didn't have a clue how serious this disease was. She was fairly relaxed and easy about the whole thing

Although this almost broke my heart, I suppose I was relieved that she felt that way, as worrying and panicking would not have helped her in any way. I was always amazed by the way she accepted her illness and dealt with her daily life. Her cheerfullness throughout this ordeal was amazing . The most tragic thing of all is that there is no free National Health Service in Indonesia and the only specialist cancer hospital in the capital is the most expensive private hospital in the country. It costs £250 for one session of chemotherapy, more than a monthly average wage in Indonesia. Anie attended chemotherapy every 3 weeks right up to August 2007 and biweekly from then until 2 weeks before her death. She also attended 31 sessions of radiotherapy, which she found very exhausting. Her parents sacrificed everything they had to help Anie through this illness, and for her mum, every new day was a new nightmare, as Anie's condition deteriorated rapidly over the last 6 months right up to the day she died. In September 2007, I returned home to Indonesia to be with Anie. During the short few days I spent with her, I have learnt so much about life and I have come to appreciate how lucky I am to be alive and healthy. She was in such pain every single minute of the day, but most of the time she accepted the pain and would even joke and laugh at times. Anie was a very brave young lady, and I was amazed that she could even talk about how little time she had left without any hesitation. Anie used to say that miracles can happen to anyone. She was confident that death may be the end of this life, but there is another life after this one waiting for us all. I did hope that a miracle would happen to Anie, but it didn't. However I still hope that making a small contribution to charities like Breast Cancer Care UK might bring a small miracle to other breast cancer sufferers around the world. Breast Cancer Care UK provides information, practical assistance and emotional support for anyone affected by breast cancer. My sister in law and many of my friends have supported this charity for many years. You can read about their work at www.breastcancercare.org.uk. They do a fantastic job and I would like to be able to contribute in Anie's memory. Thank you for taking the time to read this page. Nelly