Vivy Yusof reveals battle with lupus: 'My body is collapsing from inside'
In an Instagram post, Vivy, whose full name is Vivy Sofinas Yusof, 38, said she must live with the condition for the rest of her life and is actively seeking treatment.
"Lupus means wolf, which symbolises how frightening this illness is. Essentially, it attacks your body from within, and you may not realise it as it manifests through symptoms such as fatigue, rashes or joint pain.
"Stress is the biggest enemy. I thought I was managing my stress well as an entrepreneur since I rarely fall ill and I'm always optimistic, but I didn't realise my body is actually collapsing from inside," she said.
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's tissues and organs.
It can affect anyone, but is most commonly found among women aged between 15 and 50.
The disease is reported to impact not only physical health but also mental well-being, often leading to symptoms of anxiety and depression.
However, Vivy, who is married to Datuk Fadzarudin Shah Anuar, is grateful the disease was detected, giving her a chance to seek treatment.
"I'm thankful I was diagnosed. Now I know how to manage it.
"I've been told it's a lifelong condition, which I've come to terms with. Still, I'm constantly exploring treatment options that don't involve long-term steroid use," she said.
Vivy has resumed sharing aspects of her life with followers on social media after a brief hiatus.
She has created a new Instagram account as a platform to share her personal journey. Through the account, she has opened up about her experience with lupus.
Previously, Vivy had set her main Instagram account to private following legal proceedings.
Vivy and her husband were charged with an alternative count of criminal breach of trust involving RM8 million in investment funds belonging to Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Permodalan Nasional Bhd six years ago.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
16 hours ago
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Elyana's post on chemotherapy session: 'Only those who experience it will know'
KUALA LUMPUR: An Instagram (IG) post uploaded by singer Elyana last night has captured the attention of netizens, who are generally speculating about the singer's latest health status. This follows her previous confirmation of being cancer-free, with her recent photos and captions sparking renewed concern. In her post, the 38-year-old artiste, whose real name is Erneelya Elyana Emrizal, shared a caption that appears to describe her emotional turmoil. Elyana also included a photo, believed to be a recent image, showing her head smooth and hairless. Netizens believe this could be a result of chemotherapy as a preventive treatment. Elyana, well-known for her song "Niat," shared the following caption: "The process of our lives, only we go through, only we know. Trying desperately to appear calm and sane without telling anyone." "My message to my fellow fighters.... You are valuable and you are worthy enough to always be celebrated." "No matter how much or how little you have, remain a good person even if they insult you badly." The post has since received nearly 22,000 likes and over 750 comments. Fans and celebrity friends alike have largely posted positive comments, offering prayers for Elyana's well-being and wishing her the best of health. In previous reports late last year, Elyana surprised her fans by revealing that she was still undergoing chemotherapy as follow-up treatment. "Praise be to God, the doctor confirmed that I was cancer-free two years ago. However, chemotherapy treatment sessions are needed to prevent the disease from recurring," she said. "I need to undergo 12 rounds of chemotherapy treatment, and this procedure is performed at a medical centre in Subang Jaya, Selangor." "For now, the doctor recommends that I complete four cycles first. Then, the doctor will conduct further examinations to determine whether or not chemotherapy treatment should be continued," she said at the time. Elyana was reportedly hesitant to be certain whether she had truly recovered, as her follow-up treatment was a preventive measure.
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Drug abuse among youths spark questions on social support
PUTRAJAYA: With data showing that over 75% of drug addicts in Malaysia are Malay youths, questions are being raised about the effectiveness of the country's social support system in protecting this generation from an escalating addiction crisis. Data from the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) indicates that Malay males aged between 15 and 39 make up 60 to 70% of the total number of addicts in the country. This reality has sparked concern, as this demographic should be a key asset to the country's development, and not fall victim to a destructive cycle of addiction that damages both individuals and family institutions. AADK Prevention Education principle assistant director Mahadzir Elias described the phenomenon as a systemic issue that must be addressed collectively, not merely through enforcement. "If our village is overrun with drugs, we can't just blame the are members of that village. If it's our own child who gets involved, we can't put the blame on the neighbours," he told Bernama. He added that communities must act as supportive ecosystems by playing an active role, including guiding and monitoring young people from an early age. "Without collective action, this group could become a social time bomb that destroys family institutions, undermines the strength of the nation, and jeopardises the country's future,' he said. Despite the alarming statistics, questions arise as to whether the drug crisis among youth stems partly from poor communication within families-many teenagers are believed to fall into addiction not merely due to external influences but because they lack safe spaces for expression, sharing, and early guidance. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar also said that in addition to life pressures and environmental factors, the failure to establish effective communication between parents and children is a major contributor to the problem. "Children are a trust. Do not let life's pressures or gaps in communication rob them of their future,' he said. Mohd Na'im emphasised the importance of safe spaces within families and communities to prevent youth from going astray. In rehabilitation efforts, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) has adopted new approaches by engaging target groups via social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and podcasts, in line with a call by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to strengthen dakwah and counselling in tackling drug addiction. On the ground, mosques such as Masjid Putra in Putrajaya serve as centres for spiritual rehabilitation and community support, offering modules in prayer, zikir, halaqah, and family involvement. "This is not only spiritual rehabilitation but also repairing family bonds damaged by drug abuse. Dakwah approaches for today's youth must keep pace with the times,' he said. The MyInsaniah programme has also been introduced to strengthen Islamic identity and leadership among those aged 13 to 23, serving as an early intervention to develop principled, competent and spiritually resilient youth. AADK employs a comprehensive approach in prevention and treatment, including public education, intervention for at-risk groups, and focused rehabilitation. Youth are involved as agents of change in communities, while rehabilitation emphasises spirituality, self-discipline, and social support to rebuild the lives of former addicts. "Zikir and the five daily prayers are compulsory, as all of this builds discipline and values, and is also a form of dakwah incorporated into rehabilitation,' said Mahadzir. Former addict Muhammad Amin (not his real name), 30, told Bernama that spiritual and community-based approaches helped save him after seven years of addiction to syabu, driven by emotional distress. "No matter how big the problem, don't choose drugs. They're not a solution. Drugs destroy everything. I've been through it, I know,' he said, adding that he has been clean for 16 months following voluntary treatment. The issue of drug addiction, especially among Malay youth, is not new. Various awareness campaigns, enforcement measures, and prevention efforts have been carried out by many parties for years, yet a definitive solution remains elusive. The question now is not who should be blamed, but how all stakeholders-religious institutions, educational bodies, families, and the media-can come together to act before more 'Muhammad Amins' emerge, as not all may find their way back. - Bernama
The Star
4 days ago
- The Star
Meta unveils wristband for controlling computers with hand gestures
SAN FRANCISCO: The prototype looks like a giant rectangular wristwatch. But it doesn't tell the time: It lets you control a computer from across the room simply by moving your hand. With a gentle turn of the wrist, you can push a cursor across your laptop screen. If you tap your thumb against your forefinger, you can open an app on your desktop computer. And when you write your name in the air, as if you were holding a pencil, the letters will appear on your smartphone. Designed by researchers at Meta, the tech giant that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, this experimental technology reads the electrical signals that pulse through your muscles when you move your fingers. These signals, generated by commands sent from your brain, can reveal what you are about to do even before you do it, as the company detailed in a research paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature . With a little practice, you can even move your laptop cursor simply by producing the right thought. 'You don't have to actually move,' Thomas Reardon, the Meta vice president of research who leads the project, said in an interview. 'You just have to intend the move.' Meta's wristband is part of a sweeping effort to develop technologies that let wearers control their personal devices without touching them. The aim is to provide simpler, quicker and less awkward ways of interacting with everything from laptops to smartphones – and maybe even to develop new digital devices that replace what we all use today. Most of these technologies are years away from widespread use. They typically involve tiny devices surgically implanted in the body, which is a complicated and risky endeavor. These implants are tested solely with disabled people who cannot move their arms and hands, and need new ways of using computers or smartphones. Neuralink, a Silicon Valley startup founded by Elon Musk, aims to implant chips under the skull, beside the brain. Synchron, run by an Australian neurologist, hopes to implant devices inside blood vessels in the neck. These efforts, like those of many other startups, aim to read brain activity directly – an enormously complex process that must be tailored to the individual. Meta is taking a simpler approach. Its technology does not require surgery. Anyone can strap on the device and start using it. Using artificial intelligence techniques, Reardon and his team have identified common electrical signals that appear when a person moves a finger, wrist or thumb. 'This idea – this kind of technology – is not new, it is decades old,' said Dario Farina, a professor of bioengineering at Imperial College, London, who has tested the technology but was not involved in the research. 'The breakthrough here is that Meta has used artificial intelligence to analyse very large amounts of data, from thousands of individuals, and make this technology robust. It now performs at a level it has never reached before.' Meta's wristband uses a technique called electromyography, or EMG, to gather electrical signals from muscles in the forearm. These signals are produced by neurons in the spinal cord – called alpha motor neurons – that connect to individual muscle fibers. Because these neurons connect directly to the muscle fibers, the electrical signals are particularly strong – so strong that they can be read from outside the skin. The signal also moves much faster than the muscles. If a device like Meta's wristband can read the signals, it can type much faster than your fingers. 'We can see the electrical signal before you finger even moves,' Reardon said. EMG has long provided a way for amputees to control prosthetic hands. But technologies that use the technique as a computer interface are only beginning to mature. In 2012, three Canadian entrepreneurs founded a company called Thalmic Labs, which built an armband called Myo that sent simple computer commands using hand gestures. With the swipe of a hand, for instance, you could switch to a new slide in a PowerPoint presentation. But the company discontinued the product several years later. Reardon started similar research after founding a company called Ctrl Labs with two other neuroscientists he had met in a Ph.D. program at Columbia University. In 2019, the startup was acquired by Meta, where it now operates within a research operation called Reality Labs. Although Reardon and his colleagues have been privately demonstrating their technology for years, they are only now beginning to publicly share their work because it is now mature enough for the marketplace. The key development is the use of AI techniques to analyse the EMG signals. After collecting these signals from 10,000 people who agreed to test the prototype, Reardon used a machine learning system called a neural network – the same breed of AI that drives ChatGPT – to identify common patterns in this data. Now, it can look for these same patterns even when a different person is using the device. 'Out of the box, it can work with a new user it has never seen data for,' said Patrick Kaifosh, director of research science at Reality Labs and one of the neuroscientists that founded Ctrl Labs. According to Reardon, who is also known as the founding father of the Internet Explorer web browser at Microsoft, Meta plans to fold the technology into products over the next few years. Last fall, the company demonstrated how its wristband could be used to control an experimental version of its smart glasses, which can take photos, record videos, play music and verbally describe the world around you. Like technologies from Neuralink and Synchron, Meta's wristband could also provide new options for disabled people. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon are testing the wristband with people who have spinal cord injuries, allowing them to use smartphones and computers even though they do not have full use of their arms or hands. Most people with these types of injuries retain the ability to activate at least some of their muscle fibers. This allows the device to read what their brain is trying to do, even though their bodies can't actually make it happen. 'We can see their intention to type,' said Douglas Weber, a professor of mechanical engineering and neuroscience at Carnegie Mellon. In a similar way, Meta's wristband lets you control a computer with the appropriate thought. Merely thinking about a movement is not enough. But if you intend to make a movement, the wristband can pick up on what you aim to do – even if you do not physically move. 'It feels like the device is reading your mind, but it is not,' Reardon said. 'It is just translating your intention. It sees what you are about to do.' When you move your arm or hand or finger, the number of muscle fibers you activate varies depending on how big or how small the movement is. If you practice using the wristband long enough, you can learn to activate a tiny number of fibers without actually moving your fingers. 'We can listen to a single neuron. We are working at the atomic level of the nervous system.' – ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
