Stories

It had always been Zoe Yap’s dream to have three children. Just one month after giving birth to her firstborn son at 33, she was shattered to find that her dream was no longer possible.

Slogging arduously for hours over her office desk, Cherrie Ho, 49, was a self-identified workaholic. Time for family, friends and even herself were thrown in the backburner as she prioritised nothing but her career as a business manager and the success of her company. But everything changed when she was diagnosed with cancer. 

Mdm Soon Hui San was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017.

Making ends meet was challenging for the single mother of 2. With the financial challenges and loss of job, Mdm Soon had to manage her sons’ (then 16 and 12) education as well.

Tan Soi Hong Anna, 72, is a passionate altruist, dedicating a significant portion of her adult life to being a strong advocate of lowering the risks of breast cancer through breast feeding. Anna would have never expected herself to be afflicted by the same circumstance. On the receiving-end of care, she simply could not come to terms with the irony of her situation.

Warmth is a feeling of love and security. 

Materialised through every thread painstakingly knitted by Auntie Elsie, her beanies have provided cancer patients with warmth felt not just on their heads, but also in their hearts.

Mr Tay Jim Hua, 69 years old, is a throat cancer survivor. He was diagnosed in 2015 and had to undergo five surgeries. He had to have his tongue removed. As a result, he has difficulty speaking and cannot eat solid food. Mr Tay's only form of sustenance is milk, which he feeds himself through a tube.

Imagine being told that you will not be able to speak normally anymore and that your days are numbered. Such was the predicament of Mr Mohandas’, when he went to see the doctor for what he assumed was just a sore throat. His world came crashing down when he found out he had a huge tumour in his throat.

“It was not easy being a caregiver but staying cheerful and positive helped. I’m glad to have been by my sister’s side when she needed me.” – Amanda Pang