NPC One Heart

Wednesday, 20 March 2013

Managing Voice and Swallowing difficulties

Sunday, 24 February 2013

March 1st 2013 group sharing session

This week, we are having a bonding session.

For cancer survivors, they may go through three phases :

Living with Cancer – refers to the experience of receiving a cancer diagnosis and treatment that follows.

Living through cancer – refers to the period following treatment in which the patients are at risk of a recurrence of their cancer .

Living beyond Cancer – refers to post long term survivorship .

As a survivor we understand that many times walking the post cancer journey can be a long and hard road . It can be confusing , frustrating, scary and inundating . There are many questions and decisions that you face and you wonder how to navigate across . This is especially true for those who have recently finished their treatment whose bodies are overwhelmed with so many side effects .A survivor confessed :

“It was only when treatment ended . . .that the full impact of what had happened hit me. I felt cut adrift. There is an expectation that when you walk out of hospital on that final day of treatment, your cancer story has ended, but the reality is that in many ways you story is only just beginning. . . ”

For most the QUIET that doesn’t come after a Storm

The exco fully understands that the post cancer story is only just beginning …. cos we are still living out this story and successfully too. . So the evening on the 1^st march is set aside for us to walk and partner with you in this journey . Its called an Evening of Inspiration , Triumph and Hope .

Why are we doing this ?

We are doing this for all head and neck patients , survivors and family members who need the emotional support at this time.

We are doing this to be your companion to the lost and who are alone in this journey

We are doing this because this is one story that that is not told when you going through the first and second phases of Cancer

Lastly We are doing this because we CARE.

To the dear Onco staff of Nuhs and Ttsh please do ask the head and neck patients to join us on the 1^st of March. Details are in the attachment.

It will be an evening of Pot Luck too where survivors will bring their food ( either personally prepared , cooked or bought but not certainly mandatory ) to be share among ourselves.

If you have a story to tell , a recipe to share , a specific lifestyle to enlighten and the food that you are bringing please let us know.

Dear Members in your journey if any of you need to re build , re calibrate , re charge please do join us.

From stage 4 survivor to 20 year survivor, every one of them are living out their story successfully and….. enjoying the QUIET after the Storm . Come and be inspired by their stories of Hope and Victory .

Let me end with this.

Recalling one Charlie brown cartoon script : Lucy remarked :” I am making a list of all the things that I have learned in life …. Well actually I am making two lists .” Charlie enquired “ Why is one list longer than the other ” To which Lucy replied “ These are things I have learned the hard way “

Tuesday, 12 February 2013

Warna 94.2 FM interview on 6th and 13th February 2013 at Tamu Warna Petang between 5-6p.m

Dr. Choo Bok Ai will be interviewed live on air in Malay Language about Head and Neck Cancer. This program is in line with the World Cancer Day on the 2nd February to increase awareness of cancer prevention, screening and treatment.

To hear the program live - click on the link on internet:

http://entertainment.xin.msn.com/en/radio/warna942/

Otherwise, tune into your radio.

You can also check out the radio station facebook - dated 6th February and 13th February and you can post your questions online and it will be answered - Live

http://www.facebook.com/warna942

Tuesday, 22 January 2013

Using Chinese herbs to manage the side effects of radiation therapy

Dear Members

The NPC One Heart exco committee is happy to announce that the February month talk will be on "Using Chinese Herbs to manage the side effects of Radiation Therapy". Every year TCM is a favourite topic of the members as evidenced by the numerous questions and attendance at previous talks. There many in our group too who are seeing a TCM practitioner even years after completing their treatment,. 

Members will be delighted to know that the speaker is from Eu Yan San which is reputable for premium Chinese medicinal herbs and top notch TCM Physician . Our support group is thankful to Eu Yan San for giving this privilege to our members. The speaker will not be sharing the clinical aspect of the illness but the using of TCM Herbs to manage the side effects. She will also be answering members’ questions after the talk. I am sure the staff from nuh and ttsh will be interested too as these are the questions that the patients often asked them.

The speaker is  Dr Tang Yue . She graduated from Nanjin University of TCM with a Ph.D in integrated ( Traditional Chinese and Western ) Medicine as well as a Bachelor in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Shanghai University of TCM ( China ) She is a registered TCM physician and acupuncturist with more than 15 years of clinical practise. Her special areas of interest include acupuncture for various eye conditions, pain management , cancer management insomnia as well as beauty and wellness.

The meeting will starts at 2pm with several survivors sharing about their TCM experiences . The Speaker will come after her clinic hours on Saturday . The talk will begin at 3pm .

Dear Members if you have any other questions please do email me so that I can forward to Dr Tang Yue for her to answer them . This way the talk will be more relevant to your needs .

The talk will be in Mandarin with a translator.

Mr. Peter Tang

NPC cancer survivor

Volunteer/ Chair in NPC One Heart Support Group

World Cancer Day 2nd February 2013

Hi everyone,

I would like to extend an invitation to join NCIS in the World Cancer Day event from 4-8p.m on the 2nd February 2013.

For those who had cancer, winning against the fight for cancer is a significant event in their lives. For those who has no cancer, there is a 1 in 4 chance of cancer occurring during their lifetime. For those who work with cancer patients, it has been our desire and goal to cure cancers and to celebrate this event. For those who cannot be cured, it is our goal to make the process of living with cancer easier and to make the end of life event bearable and peaceful. For all these reason, the World Cancer Day is marked on February 4 not only to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment but also to stand together as one to mark this event and to be proud of being a healthcare worker and a cancer survivor.

These are some of the websites for info:

http://www.worldcancerday.org/wcd-home
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/annual/world_cancer_day/en/index.html
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/features/world-cancer-day-2012

All are welcome.

For NPC patients, I have organised a special transport with NCIS Corp Comm to make a bus available at 4p.m to transport all of you who are going to the TCM talk on the 2nd Feb at NUH Tower block lobby. The TCM talk will last from 2-4p.m. At 4p.m, please come down on time to the Tower block lobby to board the bus to West Coast park. There will also be bus transport back to NUH Tower block at 730p.m and to Kent Ridge MRT.

For the TCM talk, it will be interesting to come and learn more and to invite your other friends as well from other hospitals or who have other cancers besides NPC as the topic should be general use of TCM in cancer and specifically at Radiotherapy related side effects.

Here is our World Cancer day facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Cancer-Day-Singapore/134282220062188

Click LIKE! ;)

Here is the youtube video on NCIS Seeds of Hope event Nov 2012. You may spot yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-GWATJVe7A

With kind regards,

Dr. Choo Bok Ai
Consultant Radiation Oncologist
NCIS- NUH - TTSH
Assistant Professor
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine NUS

Monday, 29 October 2012

NCIS Year End Celebration - Seed of Hope

This year, we will be having a joint celebration with the various support groups from NCIS. There will be individual sharing, medical talks, food, presentations by cancer survivors, carnival activities and sand art performance. Please come and join us. Open to all. Free admission. Please register attendance based on the contact provided above. Thanks.

Post event comment: Here is the video for event uploaded on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-GWATJVe7A

Sunday, 7 October 2012

Head and Neck Public forum 2012

This year Head and Neck Cancer public forum was held at Tower Block Auditorium, NUH. There were 295 people who registered. The feedback comments were excellent.

Some of the wordings were like

"Best cancer forum attended so far"
"Motivational"
"Inspirational"
"Well organised. Good job"
"More of this forum - to hold every 6 months"

Below are some of the photos. A huge thank you to all the Radiotherapy Treatment Centre, Cancer Centre and ENT staffs from both NUH and TTSH. A special thank you to NCIS Corp Comm staffs who did a lot of preparatory work.