The Joy of Sharing

I had the chance to participate in patient support group activities again last weekend, even though the initial plan was to have it in a park at TTDI, early Sunday morning rain soon put a dampener on things. But in true Malaysian spirit, we went for the obvious choice! We head for Mamak! Luckily there was one about 5 minutes drive from the original venue.

Nothing beats a nice the tarik and roti canai on a cold Sunday morning, and doing it in such company was even greater. Despite my schedule, Sunday morning before my ward round was just perfect timing.

We congregated just before 8, with my session kicking off by 8.30. It was mainly about Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) and the new patients who turned up took the opportunity to find out a bit more about their disease as well as listening to the stories and experience of their fellow sufferers. Great session and I hope that those who turned up on that Sunday morning benefited. And I would definitely do it again if invited.

A one hour session although the participant was not yet done. I bid my goodbye and left for the hospital. I was able to start my rounds by 10 am. Great time keeping!

Photo courtesy of the Max Family.

Projek Sambung Sekolah

It was indeed a pleasure. One of my colleague at Hospital Ampang found that barrier to getting treatment while patients were suffering from cancer came in many forms. Often the treatment took 6 months and although the actual treatment cost was free or next to nothing, there were other cost which the patients also faced. The cost of time and loss of income.

The Doctors could do only so much to lessen their burden with the help of the Social Services but their children’s needs usually took a back seat.

As the show was about to start ....

He devised a plan to support the children of cancer sufferers financially and morally to make sure that they do not miss school and miss out on their education.

As a money-raising event, the organiser, the Max Family sold tickets to attend a showing of Pete’s Dragon at CITTA Mall. I bought some and attended the showing this morning although sadly Anita and the boys couldn’t come. I went there straight after my ward rounds as it was only 10 minutes away from SJMC.

After some inspirational talks and experience-sharing we were off - plus free popcorns from the venue sponsors, MBO Cinemas. Unfortunately I could not watch the movie until the end as I was getting phone calls. Good movie actually, and with great soundtrack.

The event was for a good cause and I was glad that I could contribute. I would definitely jump in again to contribute the next time a fund-raising was needed.

More information on Max Family and the Projek Sambung Sekolah here.

Sunday Morning at Kiara Park

The Max Family had been active over the years and every few months, they would have events targeting new CML patients. This time around they decided to do in an informal setting.

I was asked to join them for a Sunday morning "walk" at Kiara Park, near Taman Tun. The target was mainly those recently diagnosed with CML as an introduction to support group as well as disseminating information about their disease and treatment.

A bit of taichi to start the day offLush greenery

We started off early at around 7.30, but it was clearly not early enough. The park was already full at the time I arrived and getting a parking slot was a challenge. I ended up finding a spot 10 minutes away from the park, which was an exercise on its own.

The meet was very well organised. We were divided into three groups with me taking the first Malay group. After a 20 minutes walk around the busy park, we found a shaded space to sit and started the proceeding.

And then the real work begin ...

My group was further divided into two, ending up with around 15. It was an open discussion although they were rather timid at the start. By the end, the floodgates opened and it was a challenge to get away. I had to do my ward round by 10!

The format itself was good, although I wished that the parking would be easier. We did cover a lot during the session and hopefully the patients would get some benefit from the session. The park itself was great, although crowded on a Sunday morning.

Talk Almost Done

Now listening to Dr Ahlam from Hospital Ampang talking to the CML Support Group in Melaka. Around 20 patients turned up.

They will breaking into a smaller group after this for the Q&A session. Will be leaving for KL after this. I'm missing my boys.

Arrived at Hospital Ampang

The main lobby here. Patients are still lingering around the hall waiting for the next session after having tea. Going to start off the education session soon, then I will be off to speak to the media.

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