Nine years ago, Madam Siti Fatimah Anon received a bad shock. She learnt that she had cervical cancer. She was five months pregnant then.

The homemaker, now 35, was then a mother of three children. She had not expected her fourth pregnancy because she had always had irregular periods.

But she got worried about her recurring fevers, stomachaches and abnormal vaginal discharge. A trip to the doctor led to the diagnosis of cervical cancer, which she had never heard of.

She had also never gone for a Pap smear, an examination under the microscope of cells scraped from the cervix.

The doctor recommended that Madam Siti abort the baby and undergo a hysterectomy, an operation to remove her womb.

Her husband, 42, a delivery attendant, accepted the doctor's advice but Madam Siti was adamant about keeping her child.

'My love for my unborn child was so great I just could not get rid of it,' she recalled simply.

She decided to go through the pregnancy without any cancer treatment because she was concerned about the potential harm it could cause the foetus. It meant too that there were times of unbearable pain in her stomach and genitals.

Throughout the pregnancy, she often had difficulty breathing, a poor appetite and was listless and lethargic.

Adding to her woes were relatives and friends who disapproved of her decision to keep the baby. Some shunned her when they learnt of her cancer and others even branded her a promiscuous woman.

The Singapore Cancer Society says that the risk of cervical cancer is greater among women who have multiple sex partners, those who have male partners who engage in promiscuous sexual behaviour and those who had sex at an early age.

Madam Siti got married at the age of 17.

'When a woman has sexual intercourse at an early age, it increases her chance of exposure to and infection from high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) that may cause cancer,' said Associate Professor Tay Eng Hseon, chairman of KK Women's and Children's Hospital's Medical Board.

Dr Tay, who is also the chairman of the Singapore Cancer Society's Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, added that as many as 50 per cent of sexually active women, including those who have stopped sexual activity, will have an HPV infection at some point in their lives.

He stressed that there should not be any stigma attached to cervical cancer because it could happen to any woman.

Madam Siti said: 'My husband's constant support and the strength I got from my unborn child got me through the worst times.'

Her baby boy was born prematurely - by more than a month. She spent the year after the birth receiving treatment for her cancer.

She feared for her life during those dark times as she watched patients in her ward succumb to their illnesses. But she won her fight and her cancer went into remission.

Then, in 2006, Madam Siti found out that her cancer had relapsed and spread to her ovaries. She is currently undergoing hormonal therapy. She is supporting the X-Out Cervical Cancer Fund managed by the National Cancer Centre of Singapore and attends the monthly Malay language Sinar Harapan sessions for cancer patients and survivors.

She said of the sessions: 'We share our experiences and give each other hope and support.'

These days, Madam Siti - who has four children aged nine to 18 years - makes the one same wish every day.

'I just want to see all my children grow up and be successful. After that, God can take me away,' she said.

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on Nov 27, 2008.