{"id":26909,"date":"2025-10-29T10:10:33","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T02:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?p=26909"},"modified":"2025-10-29T13:56:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T05:56:30","slug":"afias-walk-of-courage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/afias-walk-of-courage\/","title":{"rendered":"Afia\u2019s Walk of Courage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

29\/10\/2025. By Carmelle Wilkinson<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dressed in her graduation regalia, Afia Anjum stood beside the stage at Curtin\u2019s 2025 Djiiba Graduations, her heart racing as she waited for her name to be called.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an instant, her whole world came crashing down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But after beginning chemotherapy, she wasn\u2019t sure she\u2019d be well enough to make it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe day I was diagnosed, my world stood still,\u201d Afia said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey told me I might only have weeks to live. It honestly felt like an out-of-body experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite several gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and its harsh side effects, Afia was determined to be there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supported by her husband, friends and fellow graduates, Afia was well enough on her graduation to make that walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Afia accepting her Masters of Architecture at the 2025 Curtin Djilba (September) Graduations Ceremony.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was such a wonderful feeling,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was just so grateful I was strong enough to enjoy that moment alongside my peers.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A few weeks earlier, Curtin\u2019s graduations team had organised a private ceremony for Afia, in case her health wouldn\u2019t allow her to attend the official event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Afia, that short walk symbolised so much more than the completion of a degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Afia with her husband at her private ceremony organised by the Curtin Graduations team.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It carried the weight of her father\u2019s unwavering encouragement, the fulfilment of her late mother\u2019s dream, and her own extraordinary courage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same courage had guided her in 2023 when she left Bangladesh to begin a new life in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life in Perth was everything she had wished for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was thriving at university, surrounded by new friends, and excited about what lay ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"curtin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Afia with her friends at her private graduation ceremony<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in June this year, while completing her final thesis, everything changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI remember feeling tired all the time and losing my appetite,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just thought it was stress. Then one day I became so sick I vomited at least 20 times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy husband rushed me to hospital, where they treated me for dehydration and sent me home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Days later, after submitting her thesis, Afia collapsed and was rushed back to hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis time, they did a scan and found a tumour blocking my intestine,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey removed it and sent it for biopsy. When the results came back, they told me it was Extraskeletal Ewing\u2019s Sarcoma- a very rare and aggressive cancer.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since then, Afia has faced hospital visits, countless tests, and more chemotherapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet through it all, she radiates calm, gratitude and grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI try not to dwell on the negative,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI take it one day at a time. If today is sunny, I go outside and enjoy it. If I\u2019m well enough to smile, I smile. That\u2019s how I keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are hard days, yes – but positivity helps. I really believe your mindset makes all the difference.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Afia said her husband had been her constant source of strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"curtin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Afia with her husband, who has been her constant source of strength.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been my rock,\u201d she said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t have done any of this without him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With her father and younger brother back home in Bangladesh, Afia is determined to continue to make them proud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"curtin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Afia with her family.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe lost my mum in 2021, so it hasn\u2019t been easy on my family,\u201d she said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I got the diagnosis, I didn\u2019t even know how to tell my father.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was her father, a civil engineer, who first inspired her to study architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrowing up, I watched him work with architects, how they combined creativity and practicality to bring ideas to life. It fascinated me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe once told me, \u2018You should study architecture,\u2019 and it just made sense. I already loved sketching and had a science background.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After completing her five-year bachelor\u2019s degree in Bangladesh, Afia decided to pursue her Masters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMum always wanted me to further my education,\u201d Afia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen she passed away, I decided to come to Australia to honour her dream.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now, even in the face of one of life\u2019s toughest battles, Afia\u2019s strength and optimism continue to inspire everyone around her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"curtin<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Afia decided to come to Australia to honour her mother’s dream.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She hopes her story reminds others to listen to their bodies and trust their instincts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur body is like an alarm clock – it gives us signals when something\u2019s wrong,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re often so busy with work or study that we ignore them, especially if they\u2019re subtle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile there\u2019s nothing, I could\u2019ve done to prevent my cancer, maybe we could\u2019ve found it sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through her remarkable journey, Afia reminds us all that even in moments of deep uncertainty, there\u2019s always space for courage, gratitude – and a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n\n

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