Stories of Dignity and Hope: India and Philippines
Cancer survivors like my mom are real heroes, not many people have the courage to look at death in the eye and say CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!
Cancer impacts entire families, not just the person receiving the diagnosis. Salsabila was 16 when she found out her father had marginal zone lymphoma.
She’s the eldest of three siblings, living with her family in Malaysia. Navigating her father Mr. Azmi’s symptoms and treatment was difficult for them.
Despite these challenges, Salsabila continued to study and participate in extracurricular activities with the help of Max Schooling, a program that provides education grants to families impacted by cancer.

The program helps parents buy books for their children, pay for transportation to school, take part in activities, and share in social events. The Max team also provides emotional support and care directly to the families each month.
In May 2024, Salsabila earned straight As on her Malaysia National Examination. Next up, she’s pursuing a bachelor’s degree in international communication at the International Islamic University Malaysia.
She will now be able to pursue her dream of becoming a language teacher. Also, Mr. Azmi is in remission and has been able to return to work.
Salsabila’s mother, Mrs. Elmy, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Max team when they checked in, thanking everyone who has supported Max Schooling and hoping that all their efforts will be met with ease and success.

The Max Foundation is a leading global health nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity. For 28 years, Max has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring life-extending treatments and patient-centered health care to more than 100,000 people living with cancer and critical illness in low- and middle-income countries. Max believes in a world where all people can access high-impact medicines, where geography is not destiny, and where everyone can strive for health with dignity and with hope.

In the last decade, we have reached over 10,000 patients and caregivers in Malaysia. This has been one of the most significant things in my journey with The Max Foundation: the opportunity to work with so many amazing individuals – each one of them teaches me the meaning of life, shows me the courage, and prove that nothing is impossible.

Antonia was three years old when she was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, and 4 years old when she attended her first Maximize Life Campaign event in Nicaragua. Her mother’s testimony inspired everyone present, but what was most surprising was the testimony that followed – Antonia’s: “Hello, my name is Antonia, and I am happy to be here!” After getting to know her, every member of Alas de Vida adopted Antonia as their own example to follow. She became The Princess, the little warrior who spreads optimism in the group.