The Cancer Warriors Project
Everyone knows someone who knows someone with Cancer. But when was the last time you really got to know somebody fighting the Big C?
When did you last speak to a Cancer patient, or ask a caregiver how he or she is coping?
When did you last think, “The medical bills must be crazy,” and just left it at that – an after-thought?
And when did you last ask ‘How are you?’ then waited to hear the cursory ‘Good’, or ‘I’m fine’, considered it your duty done and moved on with your life?
My name is Stella Thng, and my sister, Sally Thng, just passed away of Colorectal Cancer on 31 Dec 2005. She was a gorgeous, talented organ teacher at Yamaha Music School who was adored by her young students. The day she passed away, eight-year-olds clung onto her coffin and wept, bearing photos they’d taken with her at JMC graduation ceremonies.
In the photos, she was shaking pudgy hands, giving presents she’d bought out of her own pocket. She was that kinda girl; she knew that while graduation certificates were more for the parents, a small gaily-wrapped gift would make little hearts swell with pride.
It was in May 2005 when Sally was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colorectal Cancer that had spread to the liver and lungs. She received the bad news calmly and told everyone, “I will pull through this.” She removed part of her colon, her womb and one ovary. Chemotherapy was prescribed to shrink the liver’s tumours, until they were small enough to be operated on.
She was then 36, married to a novelist with an eight-year-old daughter, given the death sentence of six to nine months left. Fuelled by her faith in God and in herself, Sally fought so hard that she lived for two years, seven months.
She believed in looking good and keeping her spirits up. Her nurses fondly remember how she’d dress up for every Chemo session and encourage fellow Cancer patients not to give up. She took time out to call and counsel depressed fellow patients to share their hopes and fears. A local Chinese newspaper, Xin Min Daily, carried a half-page article on her amazing battle on 2 Jan 2006, the day of her funeral.
Although Sally has since passed on, I wanted to continue her good work and encourage other patients. When Sally was ill, we tried looking for books on cancer survivors. Most were from the West and were Christian-based – it was hard finding anything with Asian context that we could relate to.
Now and then, we’d read of cancer survivors in the local newspapers or magazines and I know first-hand how precious those fleeting articles are. It was newsprint proof that some cancer patients have made it, so why not my sister/mother/best friend/myself?
I work as the editor of LIME Magazine, a youth lifestyle and entertainment title published by MediaCorp Publishing. I want to help tell Sally’s and other ‘Cancer Warriors’ stories to encourage others in the same boat. It will be a simply-written, non-religious book that will also offer resources and tips by people who’ve been there, done that.
On 24 February, I penned a simple email and sent it to a few people, asking for story leads. Those people sent it to some other people. By the end of two weeks, I had received and replied over 500 emails, and the word had spread to New York and KL. And those were just the people who took time out to email me. How many more had read my letter of appeal and helped to pass it on?
Some wanted to share their personal stories and to encourage me. Perfect strangers offered to help design my book, to take photographs, to let me sell the book at their shops… anything they could do to help. I managed to interview seven people in one week alone.
In her quiet, unassuming way, Sally unknowingly started a revolution of sorts. The Terry Fox Run approached me to launch my book together with the run on 17 Sept. CapitaMalls offered to let me sell my book at all their shopping malls’ customer service counters and to help organize fundraisers and a book tour.
The company I’ve worked at for the last nine years, MediaCorp Publishing, has been wonderfully supportive. My CEO, Philip Koh, is waiving the distribution charges for my book. LIME holds fortnightly LIME Flea Markets at *scape, behind Orchard Cineleisure. My CEO wants to dedicate one of the flea markets in September to the Cancer Warriors Project and will donate all rental proceeds.
Instead of asking for monetary donations – because I really don’t want to face an NKF situation – I am asking corporations to donate goods in kind instead. Health and hygiene products that would help cancer patients would be sent directly to hospices. Other items would be sold at my Cancer Warriors stall at the LIME Flea Market @*scape. All proceeds will go directly to benefiting cancer charities. As of date, Motorola, Crocs footwear, Ed Hardy and CapitaMalls have responded favourably.
And all these happened within two weeks, simply because people were touched and inspired enough by Sally’s story to want to help other people.
I’d like to add that two weeks before Sally’s death, an auntie died of brain cancer. Two years before that, we buried another auntie who passed away of stomach cancer. I’ve already lost five members in my extended family to the Big C so I’d really appreciate any help I can get in any of these areas:
- Story leads on inspiring Cancer Warriors of all age, sex, types of cancer etc.
- Tips from caregivers, patients, nurses, doctors on how to improve the quality of cancer patients’ lives. This could be useful websites, books, shops to buy wigs, anything at all that has helped a cancer patient.
- A chapter in the book will be on ‘What do you want for cancer patients?” I’ve gotten responses like ‘Caregivers’ leave from companies’, ‘counselling for children of cancer victims’ etc. Please email me your thoughts with your name, age, occupation and relationship to cancer patients (if any).
For example: Stella Thng, 29, Magazine editor, sister of Colorectal Cancer victim
“I hope more financial help can be offered to middle-income cancer patients who are considered too rich to be eligible for subsidies, but are having problems paying their bills on top of their housing loans, looking after their parents and children, etc”
- Donation of goods in kind to the hospices or to the Cancer Warriors stall at the LIME Flea Market in September. All proceeds from the sale will benefit cancer charities.
- I’m planning a ‘special discount’ section in the book. Companies interested in giving discounts on cancer-related products, pls contact me.
- From the interviews I’ve done so far, the general feedback is that cancer patients and caregivers hope to know others in the same situation to provide mutual support. Often, cancer patients don’t want you to donate money. They just want you to recommend a lobang (or opportunity) for them to MAKE their own dough. I am hoping to start a website to connect such people. It will also be a place to exchange job opportunities to help pay off those darn bills. So you fit the bill and you have a skill/service to offer, pls email me. I’d like to offer you ‘free advertising’.
- At this point, I am NOT soliciting monetary donations to the Cancer Warriors Project. However, I would be very grateful if you could make out your cheques to any of these charities: Methodist Hospice Fellowship (the hospice that helped my sister Sally during her last days), Terry Fox Run Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Singapore Cancer Society, Children’s Cancer Foundation, Breast Cancer Foundation and Assisi Home & Hospice.
Please double cross your cheques and make them out to the charities above. Please write your contact details and ‘In memory of Sally Thng’ at the back of your cheques.
Send them to Stella Thng, Cancer Warriors Project, Blk 203, Jurong East St 21 #02-123 S(600203). Please be assured that since the cheques are not made out in my name, I cannot cash the cheques anyway. However, I would like to credit your donation in my book. I will then slot the cheques into the cheque deposit box – every cent will go to the charities you want to help.
Although I know the ‘done thing’ is to donate 10 to 20 percent of proceeds to charity, I’ve decided to donate 50 percent of my book’s proceeds (30 percent to Terry Fox Run Foundation which supports cancer research, 20 percent to Methodist Hospice Fellowship).
I hope that with this transparent account of my intentions, more people will come forward to help cancer patients and caregivers. It’s already hard enough fighting a chronic disease. Let’s help make life a little more pleasant and inspiring for them. Email me at stellathng@yahoo.com for enquiries. Thanks!
