A Cancer Survivor's Perspective: December 2009

18 Dec, Friday - I attended the 'Wall of Hope' Thank You cum Christmas Lunch at NCC Staff Lounge, Level 4.

Some attendees at the lunch

I took a photo of the plaque describing what the 'Wall of Hope' project was all about, unfortunately, my photographic skills leave much to be desired and the result was a blurry one, so, I am reproducing the wordings here.

"The Wall of Hope project, a collaborative endeavour between the National Cancer Centre Singapore and Bukit Panjang Government High School, was officially launched by Member of Parliament for Hong Kah GRC, Mr Zaqy Mohamad, on 30 May 2009.

The Wall of Hope was brought to fruition as not only a product of partnership, but also a labour of love, by countless individuals believing in the porspect of possibilities. Students from Bukit Panjang Government High School, staff from National Cancer Centre Singapore and volunteers from the community worked together with numerous well-wishing participants, to design and develop individualised interpretatins of hope through each tile.

The first tile-making session took place on 26 April 2008 at Bukit Panjang Government High School, where 60 participants including cancer patients, survivors and caregivers contributed. Subsequently, 11 more tile-kaing sessions were held at either the School or the Centre. Today, a total of 460 tiles display heartfelt impressions of hope and determination.

The Wall of Hope will continue to serve as a platform for fund-raising activities, the proceeds of which will go to the National Cancer Centre Research Fund. This will allow National Cancer Centre researchers to persevere in their efforts to better understand and ultimately overcome cancer.

Most of us have in one way or another been impacted by cancer. This wall stands as a visual reminder for us to remain resolutely hopeful in our quest to prevail over this disease."

The plaques on the wall

The 'Wall of Hope' erected near the entrance to the carpark of NCC.

Some tiles on the wall

M's contributions on display at NCC before being fixed to the wall.

My daughter's contribution

And my masterpiece

I have just returned from a 5D4N trip to Kota Kinabalu with my prayer/meditation group.

The trip on 9-13 Dec was a very eventful and rewarding, but exhausting trip for me, that by the 4th night, I was totally shagged.

Used to long naps during the day after cancer and chemo, this trip was like a test of my endurance. We were always involved in some activities (most of the members in the group except me, that is) or on the move, stopping only for meals, back at the hotels usually late at night, hitting the beds around midnight and up the following mornings before 7.

Tiredness aside, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. For me, it was a lot of exercise and fresh mountain air. Although, I must admit that our coaches were guilty of contributing to pollution with their exhaust fumes by leaving the engines running.

It was my first trip by air after I had cancer and a relapse. Chemo during my relapse had left me with a lymphedermic right arm. I had been told that if I were to travel by air, I would need a special sleeve for the arm to prevent further swelling. I used the sleeve for both ways (out and back), but from my observation, I didn't think my arm swelled when I was up in the air, because I didn't feel any extra tightness.

As I had not travelled for some years now, except for a short trip by coach to Genting and Ipoh some months back, I was more concerned about packing medication for my condition and completely forgotten to pack other essential medication like panadol and charcoal tablets. Fortunately, I had not needed them.

We had spent the first night at The Palace Hotel in Kota Kinabalu, the 2nd night in The Zen Garden Resort in Kundasang, and the last 2 nights back at The Palace Hotel.

These are some of the photos that I took with my Nokia 5130C. Not being sure of the number of photos and videos the card could accommodate, I was quite selective. Had I been able to work it out, I would have been more liberal with my photo taking.

Day 2, 10 Dec 09 - View from The Zen Garden Resort with Mount Kinabalu in the background.

The Lily - which is edible and available in Singapore in dried form.

This is another type of Lily (I think) in all its blooming glory.

Flowers at the Kundasang War Memorial.

Fruit and vegetable markets, on the way out from Kundasang War Memorial.

My accommodation at No. 3 Pine Lodge, or Pine 3, at the Zen Garden Resort. Pine 3 is an apartment consisting of 4 bedrooms with attached baths, a kitchen area and living/dining area. Pine 3 and Pine 4 (below Pine 3) are housed under one villa.

View from the window of my room.

Another view from the window of my room.

Day 3, 11 Dec 09 - Fish Spa in a river in Kg Luanti. Notice the size of the fish - most of them are longer than our feet.

The after effects - after the fish had sucked the dead skin from the leg.

Sabah Tea factory

Canopy walk in Poring Hot Spring. It was quite a tough, steep climb and I was practically breathless, when thankfully, the guide called for a short rest before proceeding to the canopy bridge. The bridge is less than a foot wide, with nettings running the full length on both side and suspended by ropes and is about 5 storeys high. It is split up into several sections, and only 6 persons are allowed on each section at any one time.