It hasn't been easy for Samar Bahubayshi, Assistant Manager, Systems Analyst, Bupa Arabia. Not long after losing her father she was treated for breast cancer, but here she explains why she's full of positivity for the future of women in her country and for her new venture as a life coach.
You never think it will happen to you, until it does. That was me in 2021, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My first thought was ‘How can I leave my mum and sisters behind?’. We’d only lost dad a few years before and were still dealing with the hole this had left in our lives. I'd always thought losing him was the biggest hardship I'd have to face until my own life was on the line. That's when I truly realised how precious life is. After the initial flurry of emotions and fear, I decided the illness wasn't going to beat me – I was going to beat it. I'm unbelievably fortunate to have access to excellent healthcare and a strong support system in my family and friends at work.
I learnt many things throughout my healing journey. As cliché as it sounds, the most important lesson was to treat each day as a gift and to recognise how strong and resilient this experience has made me. It also unlocked the power of positive thinking, seeing how this impacted my experience feels like witnessing a miracle. After my recovery, one of the best feelings for me was being able to go back to work, back to normality. I remember walking through the office doors and my colleagues were ecstatic to see me and welcomed me with a huge party. I honestly felt like my heart was singing from joy that day.
During my treatment, I noticed most of the nurses were women. Perhaps we are drawn to the role more than men because women are stereotyped as caring and nurturing, so we tend to fit the mould created by society. I'm optimistic for the future of women in my country. Under the leadership of our current king, the country's 2030 vision for progress and development means greater initiatives being implemented. These will allow women to thrive and contribute to the country's growth like never before. Thanks to this vision, there are endless opportunities opening for women in sectors like technology and healthcare (as a woman working in tech for a healthcare company, I love this for us). I'm so excited for what's to come.
Samar looks ahead to a positive future
Positive change for Saudi women
In fact, I am a testament to the positive change happening across Saudi Arabia. I was granted a government scholarship to study abroad in Ottawa, Canada. During my five years there, I became much more independent and stronger. For a girl born and raised in Jeddah city, being immersed into a completely new culture pushed me to dream bigger and turn those dreams into a reality.
It's crazy to think about how much things have progressed compared to my mother's generation. For her, it wasn’t common for women to pursue higher education; the expectation was for them to prioritise their roles as wives and mothers, putting their own goals and aspirations aside.
Like many parts of the world, there's work to do if we want to achieve true gender equality, but we should also celebrate the profound impact and sense of empowerment created by changes being made. I feel hopeful for the next generation of women knowing that they have amazing role models and greater opportunities in the world.
Inspiring women
Growing up, my sisters and I loved watching the Oprah Winfrey show. What I loved about her success story is that she did things on her own terms, using rejection as a fuel to accomplish her goals rather than diminish them. It's heartening to see this determination in young women like Malala Yousafzai. Although I was a teenager when I first heard of her, her bravery and fight for women's education really stuck with me.
One of my goals for this year is to pursue training as a life coach. After dealing with the adversities of a life-threatening illness and the loss of my father, I began delving deeper into how I can apply my experiences and skills to help others navigate life transitions and achieve greater fulfilment in all aspects of their lives.
Writing this has made me realise that we don't stop and recognise how proud we are of everything we've overcome, especially as women – we just keep going. Well, I'm super proud of me and of you if you made it this far!
