{
  "id": 16242263,
  "title": "Cancer couldn’t stop this M’sian dancer from chasing her dreams",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/cancer-couldnt-stop-this-msian-dancer-from-chasing-her-dreams",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-23T23:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2026/10/24/cancer-couldnt-stop-this-msian-dancer-from-chasing-her-dreams"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Twenty-one-year-old Rhen Teh, originally from Damansara, Malaysia, is now dancing, teaching choreography, and auditioning in London's performing arts scene. Teh's journey has been marked by two significant health crises that threatened to thwart her dreams. At 19, she survived a ruptured appendix, only to be diagnosed with metastatic papillary thyroid cancer shortly after. Rather than discouraging her, Teh found that the experience brought her closer to her passion for dance. \"I was dancing to please other people more than myself,\" she recalled. \"But after what happened, I discovered how much I had taken it for granted.\" Teh's health issues began in November 2024 while she was studying law at the University of Essex. She was rushed to the hospital after fainting due to severe stomach pain. She spent two weeks in the hospital, unable to eat for 11 days, experiencing one of the worst pains of her life. Just a month later, she received the devastating news of her cancer diagnosis. Despite the initial fear of living without a thyroid and the lifelong medication, Teh underwent surgery to remove her thyroid gland and 50+ lymph nodes. Her experiences have reignited her love for dance, which she had previously abandoned due to self-criticism. Currently, Teh is pursuing dance and choreography in London, teaching at prominent venues like Base Studios, Pineapple Dance Studios, and Arc Studios. She has also organized a successful event raising over £300 for a cancer charity. Teh credits her illness for changing her perspective on fear and ambition, bringing her back to dance and making her feel like she's making something out of the pain she experienced.",
  "summary": "Despite life-threatening health setbacks at just 19, London-based Rhen Teh refused to let adversity keep her from returning to the art she loves.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}