Grandmother, 70, in Sunday's race to raise awareness of cervical cancer By Sheralyn TaySINGAPORE (MediaCorp), October 20, 2007:
When participants of the Great Eastern Women's run take to the roads on Sunday, a 70-year-old grandmother of seven will be among them.
Madam Wong Poh Eng (picture) will be taking part in the event not just as proof that one is never too old to do anything, but also as a testimony to her success in battling cervical cancer — the fifth most common cancer among women here.
In an interview with Today, Mdm Wong, who had never done a Pap smear before her illness, said she was diagnosed only after she discovered blood in her urine in 1994.
"Initially, I wasn't even scared because I didn't understand what it meant to have cervical cancer," said the lively and youthful-looking Mdm Wong.
But when the treatments started, her fear began to build up. "It was very torturous," she said, "I lost weight and kept vomiting because of the chemotherapy."
However, the strong support from her family and healthcare staff helped her overcome her despair.
Today, Mdm Wong continues to lead an active life, attending folk dancing classes about eight times a week. "It's my passion. I love music," she said.
And she's excited about Sunday's run where she will do the 5km marathon with other cervical cancer survivors. "It's for a good cause," said Mdm Wong.
This year, the Great Eastern Women 10K run has adopted the first Cervical Cancer Prevention Fund (CCPF) as its beneficiary.
The CCPF, which was set up by the Singapore Cancer Society and the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Singapore (OGSS) earlier this year, aims to help reduce the burden of cervical cancer patients here.
And in a move to support the cause, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, one of two developers of a cervical cancer vaccine, sponsored Mdm Wong and 14 other survivors, their families, doctors and nurses to run, pledging to donate $20 to the CCPF for every kilometre clocked.
The run will also help increase the awareness of cervical cancer and how to prevent it.
Mdm Wong, who has three daughters, said: "I never even knew what a Pap smear was, but it would be good to let more women know about Pap smears so that they can protect themselves."
Dr Beh Suan Tiong, president of the OGSS, said that the money raised will help the CCPF to enhance their public education efforts and raise awareness of cervical cancer prevention.
More significantly, "if the CCPF gets enough funding, we will be able to use some of the money to subsidise the cost of Pap smears for needy patients".
Sheralyn Tay
sheralyn@mediacorp.com.sg
