29/10/2025. By Carmelle Wilkinson.
Dressed in her graduation regalia, Afia Anjum stood beside the stage at Curtin’s 2025 Djiiba Graduations, her heart racing as she waited for her name to be called.
Just weeks earlier, the Master of Architecture student had received news no one is ever prepared for – doctors had found a rare and aggressive tumour.
In an instant, her whole world came crashing down.
Known for her bright smile and gentle spirit, Afia had been counting down the days to graduation, the moment she would walk across the stage with her classmates.
But after beginning chemotherapy, she wasn’t sure she’d be well enough to make it.
“The day I was diagnosed, my world stood still,” Afia said.
“They told me I might only have weeks to live. It honestly felt like an out-of-body experience.”
Despite several gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and its harsh side effects, Afia was determined to be there.
Supported by her husband, friends and fellow graduates, Afia was well enough on her graduation to make that walk.
Afia accepting her Masters of Architecture at the 2025 Curtin Djilba (September) Graduations Ceremony.
“It was such a wonderful feeling,” she said.
“I was just so grateful I was strong enough to enjoy that moment alongside my peers.”
A few weeks earlier, Curtin’s graduations team had organised a private ceremony for Afia, in case her health wouldn’t allow her to attend the official event.
While deeply touched by their kindness, nothing compared to the feeling of hearing her name called, walking across the stage, and holding the degree she had worked so hard for.
For Afia, that short walk symbolised so much more than the completion of a degree.
Afia with her husband at her private ceremony organised by the Curtin Graduations team.
It carried the weight of her father’s unwavering encouragement, the fulfilment of her late mother’s dream, and her own extraordinary courage.
That same courage had guided her in 2023 when she left Bangladesh to begin a new life in Australia.
Life in Perth was everything she had wished for.
She was thriving at university, surrounded by new friends, and excited about what lay ahead.
Afia with her friends at her private graduation ceremony.
But in June this year, while completing her final thesis, everything changed.
“I remember feeling tired all the time and losing my appetite,” she said.
“I just thought it was stress. Then one day I became so sick I vomited at least 20 times.
“My husband rushed me to hospital, where they treated me for dehydration and sent me home.”
Days later, after submitting her thesis, Afia collapsed and was rushed back to hospital.
“This time, they did a scan and found a tumour blocking my intestine,” she said.
“They removed it and sent it for biopsy. When the results came back, they told me it was Extraskeletal Ewing’s Sarcoma- a very rare and aggressive cancer.”
Since then, Afia has faced hospital visits, countless tests, and more chemotherapy.
Yet through it all, she radiates calm, gratitude and grace.
“I try not to dwell on the negative,” she said.
“I take it one day at a time. If today is sunny, I go outside and enjoy it. If I’m well enough to smile, I smile. That’s how I keep going.
“There are hard days, yes – but positivity helps. I really believe your mindset makes all the difference.”
Afia said her husband had been her constant source of strength.
Afia with her husband, who has been her constant source of strength.
“He’s been my rock,” she said. “I couldn’t have done any of this without him.”
With her father and younger brother back home in Bangladesh, Afia is determined to continue to make them proud.
Afia with her family.
“We lost my mum in 2021, so it hasn’t been easy on my family,” she said.
“When I got the diagnosis, I didn’t even know how to tell my father.”
It was her father, a civil engineer, who first inspired her to study architecture.
“Growing up, I watched him work with architects, how they combined creativity and practicality to bring ideas to life. It fascinated me,” she said.
“He once told me, ‘You should study architecture,’ and it just made sense. I already loved sketching and had a science background.”
After completing her five-year bachelor’s degree in Bangladesh, Afia decided to pursue her Masters.
“Mum always wanted me to further my education,” Afia said.
“When she passed away, I decided to come to Australia to honour her dream.”
Now, even in the face of one of life’s toughest battles, Afia’s strength and optimism continue to inspire everyone around her.
Afia decided to come to Australia to honour her mother’s dream.
She hopes her story reminds others to listen to their bodies and trust their instincts.
“Our body is like an alarm clock – it gives us signals when something’s wrong,” she said.
“We’re often so busy with work or study that we ignore them, especially if they’re subtle.
“While there’s nothing, I could’ve done to prevent my cancer, maybe we could’ve found it sooner.”
Through her remarkable journey, Afia reminds us all that even in moments of deep uncertainty, there’s always space for courage, gratitude – and a smile.
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