SHAH ALAM, April 26 — Moral support and staunch love for anyone fighting a disease is crucial.
And this is what breast cancer patient Chang Chu San has in the form of her husband, Quek Cham Sheng.
For the past 11 years.
“I’ve been very blessed to have my husband,” said Chang.
“Financially, it was a big worry for us when it came to treatment. I spent more than RM100,000 on my first round of chemotherapy.”
“But the first thing my husband told me when I was diagnosed was, ‘Keep going with your treatment, don’t think about the money’.”
Chang was met during the recent launch of the MenCare programme where she shared stories about her ongoing battle with breast cancer.
She added that Quek was committed to helping around the house while she went for treatment.
“Sometimes we have emotional ups and downs but he is always beside me,” she added.
“When I went for my treatment, he would take care of our kids who at the time were only 10 and 13 years old.”
“Now, I even have the chance to see my children graduate from university.”
By leveraging on the support of male family members and friends, MenCare hopes to spread further awareness about MammoSEL, a free mammogram service offered to all female Selangor residents.
MenCare was first set up in 2006 as a nationwide training programme aimed at educating men about breast cancer and instilling in them a set of helpful behaviours to support the women in their life who may be facing the disease.
Their latest campaign has resulted in an alliance between Pfizer Malaysia, National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO) and the Selangor state government to bring breast cancer awareness to all corners of the state through 12 instalments of Karnival 3W (Wellness, Welfare, and Women) in 2019.
A recent public survey conducted by MenCare also revealed that men play a vital part in helping the women in their lives fight breast cancer.
One hundred percent of 556 men surveyed said they would willingly lend support to their female loved ones to get regular breast cancer screenings, but only four per cent said they had accompanied a female family member or friend for a breast cancer screening in the last year.
Nearly half of all the men surveyed were also unaware of the free mammogram screening (MammoSEL) currently offered by the Selangor state government.
The results show that while men were more than ready to support the women around them in the fight against breast cancer, not all of them were aware of the services available or the right ways to lend assistance to those who are battling the disease.
NCWO representative Datuk Ramani Gurusamy said it was important for men to prompt their female loved ones, especially their wives, to go for regular breast cancer screenings as early detection can drastically improve a patient’s chances of survival.
NCWO deputy president Dr Siti Norlasiah Ismail echoed Ramani’s sentiments, adding that a husband’s constant support would quell some women’s fears of their partner ending the marriage if they are diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Sometimes, women don’t want to go for these screenings because of the fear of their husband leaving them if they’re diagnosed with breast cancer,” she said.
“If husbands make the effort to accompany their wives throughout the whole journey, whether it’s during check-ups or in the recovery period, it will really help their progress.”
Rather than spending money on bouquets and holidays for the women in their lives, Siti Norlasiah said it was better for men to give their wives the gift of good health by offering to accompany them for check-ups on a regular basis.
