Volunteer writer You Zhen tells the story of 47 year-old Mas, colon cancer surivor and Mei, her medical escort volunteer who is also a cancer survivor herself.
Mas is a 47 year-old engineer in the telecommunications industry, caregiver to her 81-year-old mother, and colon cancer patient. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in May 2023 when she experienced symptoms and underwent a colonoscopy. She then underwent surgery to remove a tumour. Facing the prospect of gruelling chemotherapy, she sought support and reached out to the Singapore Cancer Society (SCS).
Chemotherapy may cause fatigue when it is administered. As a result, patients receiving chemotherapy may not be physically able to take public transport. Although SCS provides home-hospital transportation for some patients, they may not have the capacity to fulfil the needs of all patients who can benefit from the service. In these cases, SCS calls upon volunteers with their own vehicles to ferry these patients to and from the hospitals where they are receiving chemotherapy. However, the availability of these medical escort volunteers is still severely limited today.
Through SCS’s efforts, Mas was paired with Mei for one of her chemotherapy sessions. Mei works in the banking industry and volunteers with SCS in the "Crochet of Love" program, where she crochets items for fundraising. Being a cancer survivor herself, she took on the medical escort opportunity amidst her own packed schedule.
In the course of Mas's chemotherapy session, Mas and Mei established evident rapport and trust. Mas felt comfortable having Mei accompany her into the doctor’s consultation room and Mei also stayed close by during the chemotherapy session itself. Beyond physical assistance such as carrying Mas’s bags in the medical escort process, Mei also shared her own cancer journey with Mas.
For Mas, Mei’s kindness and sincerity have left a lasting impact. For Mei, volunteering as a medical escort was deeply meaningful as an opportunity to repay the kindness she received from strangers during her own battle with cancer. Their bond exemplifies the power of empathy and support within the cancer community. This has inspired hope in Mas that she will be able to pay it forward after completing her journey to recovery. As Mas eloquently puts it, "The more we give, the more we will receive. We need to advocate and reach out to cancer patients and caregivers who may be shy or unaware of the support groups available."
Writen by volunteer You Zhen