Four years ago, Q May Chen, a 27-year-old from New Taipei, Taiwan, was declared cancer-free after she received treatment for stage two breast cancer.
However, two years later, Chen discovered that the cancer had come back and had, in fact, worsened to stage four.
So for her birthday last year, Chen decided to give herself the gift of making a childhood dream come true – by doing her own wedding photo shoot, which she did solo.
"When I was younger, I loved to dress up and always hoped that I would one day be able to do my own wedding shoot when I got married," Chen told BuzzFeed News.
"And so I waited, but then I got sick again," she said. "That was when I finally decided that this was something I needed to do."
Chen said she didn't consider herself a very independent person, but doing the shoot really empowered her.
"I realized that even though I am alone, I can accomplish so much in life," she said. "You don't need to wait for someone to complete you."
Chen said she decided to come forward and tell her story because she wanted to give others who are also going through a hard time the urge to stay alive.
"I've done so many things now that I never thought I'd be able to," Chen said. Last year, she got her driving license so that she can "go anywhere she wants without depending on others."
She also wants to travel and will go to Bali with her mom for a "honeymoon" later this year.
"I couldn't have known that stage four cancer was waiting for me, but I'm making the most of the limited time we all have," she said.
"I feel like sometimes it may seem like God has made you fall over, but maybe it's actually him pushing you to achieve something more," she said.
