Editor-in-chief: Bilal Muhammad
Producer: Pearl John
DOP: Liza Efimova
Stylist: Ksenya Krasnodębska
Stylist Assistant: Katya
Lighting: Vitaly
MUA: Elani
Florals: Blooming Box: https://bloomingbox.com/
Shirt: LIMÉ
Skirt & Top: SAVANNA
Jewelry: Poison Drop
Shoes: Santoni
Glasses: VINTAGE Eyewear
The Unexpected Knock
It started, as these things often do, with something small. A lump, found in the shower. A curious shape that wasn’t there before. At the time, Mai was breastfeeding and, like many young mothers, chalked it up to a blocked duct. But the lump grew, and her instincts told her something was wrong. “I told my mother-in-law, and at first, we thought it was nothing serious,” she recalls. “But it got bigger so quickly. That’s when I knew — this wasn’t something to ignore.”
Her doctor confirmed her fears. It was breast cancer. At just 31 years old, with no family history and a healthy lifestyle, Mai was blindsided. “You always think of cancer as something that happens to older people, or to people with risk factors,” she says. “I exercised, I ate well. I was young. I thought I was doing everything right.”
Yet in that moment of shock, she didn’t freeze. She fought.
Dress: Wow Dress Dubai by Katya Yanova
Jewelry: Poison Drop
Earring: ADORNÉ
Necklace: Philipp Plein Jewelry
Shoes: Santoni
Choosing Light
From the start, Mai made a decision, not just to fight the cancer, but to fight the fear that came with it. “My family is very proactive,” she says. “Once we knew, it was action time. My husband, my mum, my mother-in-law, they were with me every step.”
But perhaps her most powerful choice was how she chose to show up to the world. Rather than retreat into privacy, Mai leaned into visibility. She shared her diagnosis, her treatment, and her tears with her audience. Not for sympathy, but for solidarity. “I didn’t want to be labelled as ‘just the cancer girl’. I’m still a mum. I’m still a content creator. I’m still me.”
Mai’s social media presence, which she lovingly calls “Mai’s Vault”, became a space for hope. A digital hug for anyone going through something hard.
Dress: Wow dress Dubai
Blazer: SAVANNA
Accessories: Poison drop
Shoes: Santoni
Laughter as Medicine
“I didn’t try to balance humour and pain – I just kept being me,” Mai says, when asked about her comedic take on cultural identity, cancer, and everything in between. “Authenticity is the best bridge between people.”
In her videos, she cracked jokes about losing her hair, playfully showed off her bald head, and shared honest moments of fear and beauty. “One day I just grabbed the scissors and cut it. And later I shaved it. That was the moment I felt free. Not sad. Not scared. Free.”
For her, being “real” was always more important than being perfect. “If I can laugh at the things life throws at me, I feel like I’ve already won,” she says.
That humour, she says, wasn’t a shield. It was a tool for survival.
Redefining Beauty
Hair had always been part of Mai’s identity. Big, bold, curly hair. It was central to her look and her personal brand. Losing it could have shattered her. Instead, she chose to see it as a sign that treatment was working.
“I used to think beauty was about how you looked. But now? Beauty is presence. Beauty is strength. Beauty is staying soft in a hard world.”
With her signature candour, she jokes, “Also, I discovered I have a really cute head shape. Who knew?”
But behind the laughs was something deeper: a quiet, powerful reclaiming of identity. Of womanhood. Of self-worth.
It’s that transformation that has fuelled her next project – a brand dedicated to curly hair. “I started working on it before I lost my hair,” she says. “Now, it’s become even more personal. It’s about embracing every version of yourself.”
Her followers, she says, became her second family. A global support group cheering her on, laughing with her, crying with her, healing alongside her.
Dress: Aaronic Atelier
Jewelry: Versace watch, Poison Drop, ADORNÉ
Shoes: Santoni
A Mother First
If there’s one role that eclipses all others, it’s motherhood. Her son was, and continues to be, the centre of her world. Her motivation and her light.
“Kids have this way of reminding you what really matters,” she says. “I wanted to be present. I wanted to be alive. Not just breathing, but living.”
Cancer, she says, made her a better mother. More mindful. More grateful. “Every cuddle, every giggle, every tantrum – I cherish it all now. I want to raise my son to be resilient, kind, and joyful. That’s my legacy.”
Speaking Out for Others
Beyond motherhood, humour, and entrepreneurship, Mai is also a vocal advocate for human rights.
“The devastation in Gaza breaks my heart,” she says. “It’s not just about Palestine. It’s about all of us. We are not free until everyone is free.”
She uses her platform to raise awareness and amplify voices. “We can’t turn away. Even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.”
Her empathy, sharpened by her own experience with suffering, now extends far beyond her own community.
Dress & Earrings: LIMÉ
Jewelry: Poison Drop
Shoes: Santoni
Becoming
Today, Mai is officially cancer-free. That sentence, she says, still makes her pause. “It feels like a full-body exhale,” she smiles.
But she’s quick to add that the healing continues. “Being cancer-free doesn’t mean going back to who I was. It means becoming someone new.”
Someone more present.
More purposeful.
More peaceful.
“I live louder now. I laugh more. I don’t stress about the small stuff. When you’ve fought for your life, you learn what’s worth your energy.”
And so, “Mai’s Vault” isn’t just a brand anymore. It’s a message. A movement. A reminder to stay soft in a hard world. To choose joy when joy is hard to find. To laugh, not because life is perfect, but because you are still here.
