Speech by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Health & Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, at Hair for Hope 2016 on Saturday 30 July 2016

Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee

Patron, Children’s Cancer Foundation

Mr Ho Cheng Huat

Chairperson, Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF)

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning.

1.    I am glad to join you here at Hair for Hope 2016, Children’s Cancer Foundation’s (CCF) annual community outreach and fundraising campaign.

2.    I salute all individuals who have chosen to make a bold and bald statement to stand in solidarity with the CCF beneficiaries and their families.

3.    In 2003, when Hair for Hope started, nine CCF volunteers shaved their heads as a symbolic gesture to raise awareness of childhood cancer.

4.    And just imagine – Hair for Hope 2016, which kicked-off on 1 May this year, has drawn more than 3,000 individuals to have their heads shaved at 52 satellite events all over Singapore. These shaven heads make the point that it is OK to be bald and that the children are not alone in their fight against cancer.

Childhood Cancer in Singapore

5.    Childhood cancer causes great physical and emotional distress for both the child and the family. Between 2008 and 2012, around 100 children aged 14 and below were newly diagnosed with cancer in Singapore each year. Leukaemia was the most common cancer, accounting for a third of all childhood cancers. This was followed by tumours of the central nervous system, and Lymphomas, cancers that start in the body’s immune system.

6.    But the good news is that the survival rates of childhood cancers have improved over the years with medical advancements. For instance, the survival rate of Leukaemia has amazingly risen from 40 percent in the 1980s to more than 90 percent today.^[1]

7.    Any family who has a child diagnosed with cancer requires emotional support. I would like to thank CCF for reaching out to some 2,000 beneficiaries and their families annually. By siting its social work operations and establishing Family Resource Centres in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and National University Hospital (NUH), CCF has been able to more effectively reach out to its beneficiaries to provide psychosocial services and emotional support when that is needed most.

8.    CCF’s services go beyond its hospital services to the community. CCF journeys alongside the patient and family members throughout their illness. It provides one-stop holistic care services such as sibling support, specialised intervention therapies, back-to-school programmes, survivorship programmes, and even grief and bereavement support.

Extraordinary Shavees

9.    Many individuals coming forward to ‘Make a Bald Statement’ at Hair for Hope are themselves an inspiration. Let me share three stories with you.

10.    CCF beneficiary, 9-year-old Boon Kye Feng, will have his head shaved for the first time to encourage children who are fighting cancer, and also pay tribute to those who have lost their battle to cancer. Kye Feng was diagnosed with Leukaemia in 2012 and had a relapse in 2014. He has bravely undergone two bone marrow transplants. Kye Feng is now in remission and currently attends CCF’s Place for Academic Learning and Support (PALS), a learning centre set up in 2012 to help children with cancer reintegrate into mainstream schools. Kye Feng’s courage in overcoming cancer and his spirit of giving are truly commendable.

11.    12-year-old Zara Yong is one of the top five individual shavees in terms of funds raised.   Zara is passionate about helping the less fortunate. Since 2013, she has initiated fundraising activities in aid of special needs schools in Singapore, victims of Typhoon Haiyan in Philippines and orphanages in Indonesia. This year, she decided to participate in Hair for Hope to tell children with cancer that they are not alone in their fight. Zara has raised more than $30,000 for CCF to date. Her passion to help those in need is inspirational, especially for one as young as her.

12.    Ooi Wei Tsang is also shaving his head for the first time. His three-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoid Leukaemia in April this year, and is currently undergoing intensive treatment. To express his gratitude towards CCF for their care and support, Wei Tsang decided to join Hair for Hope, and at the same time, raise awareness of childhood cancer. We hope that Wei Tsang’s daughter will triumph over cancer soon.

Conclusion

13.    In closing, I want to commend all shavees and volunteers for your courageous and selfless acts of giving in this very worthy cause. My best wishes to the CCF team in inspiring hope and in building a better future for children with cancer. I wish all of you a very successful Hair for Hope 2016.

^[1]http://www.kkh.com.sg/ABOUTUS/CLINICALOUTCOMES/Pages/TransplantAndLeukemiaSurvivalRates.aspx