“The Breast Cancer Centre is where the community can bond and find strength”

When Staphnie Tang discovered a painful lump in her breast in April last year, she did not hesitate to see her doctor, even though it was at the height of Singapore’s Circuit Breaker period to stem Covid-19. A mammogram and scan were immediately ordered for her the next morning.

It wasn’t the first time that she had gone through such scans, but the wait was agonising nonetheless. Cancer had struck close to home for Tang before; her father passed away from the disease, and so did his two brothers. “I memorised the last months, days and hours of my late father’s [life] and know life’s brevity,” she shared with friends in a Facebook post three days after her cancer scare.

Tang was thankfully given the allclear, but the episode reminded her of the importance of the work of the Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF), of which she became president in January last year when founding member Noor Quek retired. “Why didn’t I check myself regularly? What if I don’t know who to go to? What if I don’t have enough money to pay for the scan and mammogram? What if the results are positive?”—those are the what-ifs many like her might grapple with, she says.

An advocate of the early detection of breast cancer since 1997, BCF also provides support for the breast cancer community. The social service agency has introduced various initiatives, including counselling, support groups and befriender programmes for women diagnosed with breast cancer, as well as their caregivers. It also provides rehabilitative support, such as helping members rebuild positive body image with wig loans, and sponsorship for post-mastectomy bras for lower-income women.

Tang is leading the organisation into the next stage, as it reaches its milestone 25th anniversary in 2022, building on the work of her predecessors. Last January, she shared her vision for BCF to have a Breast Cancer Centre, an integrated space for the breast cancer community to gather in a safe and non-medical environment. This first of its kind centre is located at Sin Ming Court in Bishan and opened its doors last month, offering a comprehensive and holistic suite of support programmes and services.

“I think our members deserve the privacy and a form of bonding [in a space] where they can gather and talk about the issues facing them. We have very active chat groups within the different support groups, so we want to take that offline in a social space and activity centre, where they can bond and look for strength in one another,” Tang shares.

BCF will also run public awareness and outreach talks at the centre, along with its Healing Through the Arts programmes, from art and sewing as a form of therapy to physical strength activities such as yoga and piloxing. Cooking and nutrition classes as well as mental health workshops will also be available to members.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Singapore and worldwide. One in 13 women will get it in their lifetime. Even more worrying: one in six breast cancer cases here are diagnosed in women under 45, with the likelihood of a more aggressive form of the cancer, according to the Singapore Cancer Registry.

For its Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2021 campaign in October, BCF wants to challenge women to rethink how susceptible they are to breast cancer. “With early detection through regular breast selfexamination and mammograms, women can win the fight against the disease. We want to rally together to spread the message and find strength in numbers,” shares Tang.

This year’s campaign will see landmarks such as The Fullerton Hotel Singapore and National Gallery Singapore lighted in pink, and the return of the Virtual Pink Ribbon Walk in December. Khoo Teck Puat Hospital will also host an art exhibition, Celebrating Life, Together, featuring over 40 artworks by healthcare professionals and breast cancer patients, with proceeds going towards BCF.

The support of its donors, community partners and volunteers is important to the organisation’s work. Many breast cancer survivors have also stepped forward in support of those who have been newly diagnosed, walking alongside them. BCF is also one of the few advocacy groups in the world with a Men’s Support League within its Caregivers Support Group.

“Breast cancer affects all, the community must come together to stand in solidarity, for the human spirit is stronger than anything else,” says Tang.

She shares these words of encouragement with the breast cancer community: “Your mind is powerful. Let’s fill it with positive thoughts and our lives will start to change. You are not alone in your breast cancer journey. At BCF, we share courage because together, we will overcome.”