Ayu Kembarati: Indonesian Cancer Survivor Who Dedicates Her Life to Community in Australia

By: Wipsar Aswi Dina Tri Andari

KOMPAS.com – Life may turn her upside down. But, knowing that life is a gift, cancer survivor Ayu Kembarati, an Indonesian living in Australia, always wants to help others and tries her best to change a negative situation into a positive one when dealing with adversity.

The 54-year-old woman from Bali, Indonesia came to Darwin, Northern Territory (NT), Australia in 1998 fresh after her wedding. To her friends, Ayu is known as a person who has a bright smile and wears her heart on her sleeve.

In Darwin, Ayu and her then-husband started their new life from zero. They ran a garment business. Meeting people along the way between Darwin and Alice Springs route, slowly but surely, they picked up loyal customers. Soon their business grew and it expanded selling furniture and handicraft in a gallery.

However, her situation at home was completely unexpected. This was when she found out that her firstborn was diagnosed with autism. For Ayu, the word ‘autism’ was unheard of. When she asked her husband what autism was, he replied, “Go watch Rain Man.” The husband was referring to a Hollywood movie with an autistic character. Soon after, she was devastated.

Between her journey for acceptance and her courage to find the best care for her child, things turned out to be more complicated. In 2011, she became a single parent. Then a few years later, the mother of three discovered that she had stage two breast cancer when her children were still in primary school.

For three months, she said that she broke down, realizing that she might not have the chance to see her children grow up. However, she thought that she must be strong and face her problems head-on to precisely answer her worst fear: she wanted to be alive for her children.

Diligently she underwent a breast lift operation in 2016 and weathered through every session of her four full cycles of chemotherapy. She then endured 25 days of radiation therapies and finally was put on hormonal treatment for five years.

She remembered fondly how she still cooked, cleaned, and did laundry even just after receiving a chemo session. “If not me, then who would do it?” she recalled.
“Even when I lie down on the bed it hurts, so I would rather walk and do things to forget the pain.”

Her unwell condition made it difficult to do her hobby: exercising. “When I did the chemo, I could not go to the gym. My body was full of chemicals, so if I sweat, I would release these chemicals. And it’s dangerous to others.”

So, she opted to walk her dogs instead. Assisted by her twin sister Gusti, who was in charge of dropping off and picking up her children to and from school, she tried her hardest to return her life to normalcy.

Now, in 2021 her personality and life are shining brightly than ever. January 2021 she was declared cancer-free but will still stick to her hormonal therapy for the next five years ahead.She opted to willingly commit to the hormonal therapy since she does not feel any side effects from the therapy.

Giving back to society 

Dok. Ayu Kembarati Ayu Kembarati and other Balinese Hindus living in Darwin attend Melasti, a purification ceremony ahead of the holy day of Nyepi, in Casuarina Beach recently.

Between her busy life as a mother and a small business owner, she also dedicates some of her time to be involved in various organizations in Darwin, from supporting the OTIS Foundation through her OTIS Great Wall Adventure to being a member of the Indonesian Ladies Association and currently the secretary of the Darwin Balinese Community.

Her contribution to society has been recognized by various community organizations as she received appreciation from Nemarluk and Hanbury School for her contribution towards the school's fundraising.

Her company often donates furniture and handicraft to be an auction which the money will be contributed towards Autism NT. She has also received appreciation for her service as a core member of the Indonesian Ladies Association in 2020 and was recognized as one of the 2020 Multi Culture Ambassadors from the Multicultural Council of NT.

One of the unforgettable achievements for her is when she was able to raise a fund of 6,682 Australian dollars ($5,185) which was donated to OTIS Foundation to provide free retreat accommodation to breast cancer patients and survivors in Darwin. The charity was supported by donors, friends, the Indonesia Ladies Association, and Darwin Balinese Community.

When asked about why she still wants to dedicate her life to various organizations in Darwin, she said, “For me, it’s like taking a part of Bali here with me. When the Darwin Bali Community held events, many people said that our events remind them of Bali. It’s the food, the people, the traditional dresses.”

“It’s important to preserve Balinese culture and tradition here. So that we and also our children understand the essence of being Balinese,” she added.

Though she faced the life-changing problem, from learning and nurturing an autistic child to surviving cancer, she braved herself to continue to live in Darwin rather than going back to Indonesia where she could find a wealth of support around her.

"I could choose an easy way out and go home to Bali," she said. “But, I felt that I had to continue to fight. In Australia, what matters is that you work hard. If you do, your efforts will be fruitful,” she added. 

Reflecting on her journey, she affirms that she believes that living is about responsibility. “We are responsible to live this life as best we could.” This has shaped her positivity and optimism as she continued, “God will not burden us with troubles that we could not afford to solve.”

What motivates her

Citing her children as her motivation to live life to the fullest, she shared the story of her daughter Amanda, who was diagnosed with autism. The 20-year-old now is an independent young woman and is always the first person to wake up in the morning since she has quite a busy schedule, thanks to the wholesome programs that the Australian Government provides for the person with disabilities.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Amanda works at Helping People Achieve, a company that has a mission to create and develop employment opportunities for people with disabilities. While every Monday and Wednesday, she attends the PEG program, which creates interesting and engaging activities for disabled people. Besides, once in three weeks, she attends the RESPITE program, where she will spend her Friday and weekend away from home to give her mother a me-time of her own.

Not only Amanda is thriving, Ayu’s other children, Chrissy is also full of achievements and currently is shortlisted in the 2021 NT U15 Girls Hockey and will be competing in the National Hockey Competition in Sydney. When asked how she feels now, she said with a bright smile, “I am very happy!”

(Wipsar Aswi Dina Tri Andari is a Ph.D. candidate at the Charles Darwin University, Australia. This piece is written to commemorate 2021 International Women’s Day on March 8).