ANZA Action and Casual Coffee are delighted to be supporting the Singapore Cancer Charity with their annual Biggest Morning Tea! Read how this charity helps those in need.
Mdm Irmawati, 40, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2013. And she was 32 weeks pregnant.
Mdm Irmawati first discovered a lump in her left breast at the age of 20 which was non-cancerous. In 2011, she found a lump in the right breast. Thinking that the lump would also be non-cancerous, she ignored it. Two years later she felt multiple lumps and went to consult a doctor. She was advised to go for a biopsy. But just before her biopsy, she found out that she was pregnant with her second child.
She was afraid that the situation would get complicated if she went for biopsy. The mother was under tremendous stress due to concern for the safety of the unborn child. She decided not to go for the biopsy as she did not want anything to affect the foetus. But as the months went by, her back pain became unbearable and she was strongly advised by her doctor to do the biopsy test. Mdm was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer (metastatic to the bone).
She was given morphine daily to manage the pain and she underwent a C-Section at 34 weeks. After giving birth, she underwent six cycles of chemotherapy (once every three weeks) and hormone therapy for six months. But she suffered a relapse. She was treated with a higher dosage of chemotherapy again weekly. Her family supported her very closely throughout her ordeal. Her young children gave her the motivation and will power to overcome struggles.
The struggles included financial difficulties. Mdm Irmawati had minimal financial support and lives in a rental flat. She works when there are ad hoc jobs.
Singapore Cancer Society (SCS) has been supporting Mdm Irmawati with SCS Cancer Treatment Fund (CTF) for her CT scans, blood tests and chemotherapy since April 2015. Her daughter, who is in Secondary School, receives aid from our SCS Education Financial Assistance Scheme and tuition (under the SCS Help the Children and Youth Programme).
Patients are referred by their doctors or medical social workers for SCS CTF. Since the inception of CTF in 2005, more than $15.4 million has been disbursed to more than 4,635 cancer patients. In 2016, a total of 268 patients were assisted.
Cancer diagnosis can impose a tremendous financial burden on the patient and family especially for needy families. SCS provides a range of assistance schemes to alleviate the financial burden for needy Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. We provide cancer patients with avenues for assistance at every stage of treatment: from pre-treatment, when they are first diagnosed with cancer, during treatment and beyond.
You can help with the great work of the SCS by supporting ANZA Action and Casual Coffee’s Biggest Morning Tea. Come along to the event at the Australian High Commissioner’s Residence on Friday 29 June. Mark it in your diaries and support Singapore Cancer Society.
Each year, ANZA Action and Casual Coffee host the Biggest Morning Tea.
It is a chance for our members and their friends to come together to enjoy each other’s company over a cup of tea and biscuits to raise much needed funds for the Singapore Cancer Society. This year, the Biggest Morning Tea will be at the residence of the Australian High Commissioner and will be your chance to help raise awareness and minimise the impact of those diagnosed with cancer.
