MAY⁄ JUN 2012
Spotlight
You do not walk alone The NCCS nose cancer support group provides what no amount of medicine can – a listening ear, a helping hand and, when needed, a shoulder to cry on
“I was worried and uncertain, but he went through the whole treatment process and shared his own journey with me. That night, I had my first good night’s sleep since the diagnosis. This group is not only useful but, here, I don’t feel alone,” said Mr Chang, who is a patient from another hospital.
PHOTOS: ALECIA NEO
A true blue support group The group, which started in 2005 with 20 participants, now has about 300 – mostly survivors and a few caregivers. It also gets queries from other hospitals and even overseas.
Ms Sim and her parents. The tips on nutrition helped her father through the gruelling seven weeks of treatment.
In March last year, Ms Winnie Sim, 39, quit her marketing job when her 71-year-old father, Mr Sim Teng Juay, a retired senior clerk, got Stage 4 nasopharyngeal (nose) cancer. She knew it would be hard on her mother Mdm Ho Mew Wan, 70, a diabetic, to care for him alone and accompany him to his daily radiation and chemotherapy treatments. So she pitched in to help. “It was tough but he’s my dad,” she said. “I thought to myself that it might be the only battle we have to fight, so I wanted to give it my all.” She plunged into the task trying to find out as much as she could about the cancer. Then she did something which really helped – joining NCCS’ Nose Cancer Support Group. Others in the same boat Initially, she went to the meetings alone, as her father was too ill to attend. But she would go home and share everything with him. It made her realise that her family was not suffering alone – there were others, including many who recovered after treatment. “I learnt how they coped and survived. Before this, we didn’t know much about nose cancer, except that a distant relative had it.” She picked up tips on nutrition to reduce the side effects of treatment. “I learnt that lemongrass could help protect cells, so my Dad took a lemongrass drink every day before chemo. I heard that manuka honey soothes throats affected by radiation, so we gave that to him too.” She combined recipes to get the best effect, and went shopping for ingredients every day. “It was tiring but it helped, because he didn’t suffer much from chemo and so could continue with the treatment.” Recently, she learnt that, in eight or 10
years’ time, her father might experience some hardening of the muscles, so he now sees a speech therapist and is learning simple exercises to delay its onset. “I wouldn’t have known about this if they hadn’t told me about it.” Her efforts have paid off. Mr Sim, who attended his first group support meeting almost a year after his diagnosis, is in the clear after treatment, with only his hearing and taste buds affected. “This group has made our battle with cancer and the journey to recovery easier, brighter and warmer. Without them, we’d be journeying alone in the darkness,” said Ms Sim. Learning and sharing Others have similar experiences. Mr James Chang, 44, a tax officer, was reeling from the diagnosis when Mr Teo Thiam Chye, 58 – the group’s leader and a nose cancer survivor himself – visited and reassured him.
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Here are a few of the many groups within SingHealth National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) (Open to patients of NHCS)
Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Patient Support Group Tel: Nurse Manager in charge at 6436-7603 Heart/Lung Transplant Patient Support Group Tel: Transplant Coordinator at 6436-7635, email: transplant.office@nhcs.com.sg Pacemaker/ICD Patient Support Group Tel: Ms Chiong Siau Chien Manager, Cardiac Lab at 6436-7867, email: chiong.siau.chien@nhcs. com.sg
National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) (Open to all cancer patients in Singapore) The Revival Connection (for patients with advanced and recurrent cancers)
The Nasopharyngeal (Nose) Cancer Support Group The Mandarin Support Group (for Mandarin-speaking cancer patients) cancer patients)
The Lung Support Care Programme The Grief in Recovery Programme (for surviving spouses of cancer patients)
To contact the various support groups, call 6436-8126/6436-8117 or email mss@nccs.com.sg.
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) (Open to members of the public)
Perinatal Depression Support Group Tel: 6394-2205 (8am to 5.30pm, Mon to Fri). Patients must be assessed for suitability before joining. Cleft and Craniofacial Support Group Tel: Josephine Tan, coordinator, at 6394-5034/91003978, email: Josephine.Tan.CH@ kkh.com.sg; tel: Aini Dahlan, Nurse
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“We welcome everybody. This group has gone beyond nose cancer. We’ve got people with colon cancer, lymphoma, as well as head and neck cancer. They come because of the bonding,” said Mr Teo, affectionately known as TC – a name he prefers to use. Having walked the rocky road to recovery, TC sees it as a calling to help new patients, especially during the seven gruelling weeks of radiation and chemotherapy. “Our group’s motto is that nobody should journey alone with cancer.” He said: “This is a true blue support group. There is warmth, closeness, commitment, information, support and friendship. Many people contribute to it. After our sessions end, people will hang around outside talking, sharing, laughing and making arrangements to meet up either individually or in smaller groups.
Some patient support groups
The Malay Support Group (for Malay
TC and his wife Mrs Margaret Teo-Lee, whom he said has been “a pillar of strength” during his trials.
singapore health
Clinician, at 9180-0186, email: Aini. Dahlan@kkh.com.sg KK Alpine Blossoms Breast Cancer Support Group Tel: Doris at 6394-5816; Breast Care Nurse at 8121-7943
Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Breast Cancer Support Group (open to patients from SGH and NCCS) Tel: Mdm N Saraswathi at
6321-4474 Haematology Support Group There are separate support groups for patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia, multiple myeloma, thalassemia, haemophilia and myelodysplastic syndrome. Call Senior Nurse Manager or Nurse Clinician at the Haematology Centre at 6321-4722, who will link callers to the groups. Amputee Support Group (open to patients from SGH) Tel: Sister Sivagame at 9842-8932; Sister Chew at 8119-0398 Stroke Club and SGH Dementia Support Group (focusing on early dementia) Tel: Nurse Diane at 9239-5907, email: theng.li.ping@ sgh.com.sg Parkinsons Disease Support Group Tel: Tan Siok Bee at 8125-3543, email: tan.siok.bee@sgh.com.sg The Colorectal Cancer Support Group (for all patients with colorectal cancer in Singapore) Tel: Ms Carol Loi at 6321-3615, email: carol.loi@sgh.com.sg or ong.choo.eng@sgh.com.sg Oncology Support Group (for cancer patients from SGH and NCCS) Tel: Aw Fung Chee at 6321-4480, email: aw.fung.chee@sgh.com.sg; tel: Lee Teng Teng at 6321-4482, email: lee. teng.teng@sgh.com.sg