This is the third time I am running for my dad, supporting the Cris Cancer Foundation. I admire Cris Cancer's initiatives, teams, and stories.

Through the years, many of my amazing co-workers have also gone through cancer battles with their families. I am also familiar with the matter.

Back then, Cris Cancer gave me the opportunity to support my dad through his cancer battle. He fought for years to overcome it.

People say that when you lose a parent, you never really recover. It's like the earth losing its axis—the spin shifts but must still rotate. Growing up in a difficult environment, my dad was always my full sun. My mum was diagnosed with depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. I sometimes had to skip school during her crises and experienced survival and trauma growing up. Everything was okay because my dad was always there to save the day. My world was okay because my dad fixed everything.

When he got cancer, it was a shock. It had always been about worrying about my mum while my dad was the saving hero. Even then, he made me promise to look after my mum and my siblings, who were still studying.

He had multiple surgeries and chemotherapy. He fought, suffered, feared, and had many regrets. He feared leaving my vulnerable mother and my siblings, who were still in school. He regretted having to retire early because of the cancer, as he wanted to work so my brother could study anywhere. I told him it was okay, I could look after them, and it reassured him.

When he healed, I offered him a trip to New Zealand for a Valentine's Day celebration with my mum. Unfortunately, he had a stroke just a few days before the departure and spent a month in a coma. He had tubes through his throat and stomach. I remember holding his cold hands, trying to warm them up.

After a month, he finally opened his eyes and had difficulty breathing. After a year and with much patience, he is back home. With limited memory and logic, he survived.

What I learned from my father is to always fight and to be brave, not for myself, but for the love of my family!