A very common cancer, about 5% of Malaysian women are at risk of being diagnosed with it. Accepting the diagnosis and the changes it will bring to one’s life can be hard, but it is possible if one is provided with the necessary support.
That is where Can-Care has come to be a life-saver for cancer patients.
A post cancer-care organisation that looks after the welfare of patients while guiding them through every important stage of recovery, Can-Care was conceptualised in 1995 by Serena Wee.
Her motives stemmed from the realisation that support resources for affected women in Singapore were limited. This was made especially apparent when her own aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Speaking to FMT, Joeanne Wong, general manager of Can-Care Malaysia, said that the organisation has remained devoted to its work since its establishment in 1997.
“Can-Care is dedicated to helping female breast cancer patients cope with the after-effects of treatments, providing emotional support and empowering them to find some normalcy in their lives.”
With Can-Care being led by and working with medical professionals, Wong said that the organisation helps patients and their families cope with the necessary changes in their lifestyle.
“The goal of Can-Care is to support the well-being of cancer patients throughout their journey of recovery so that they can lead a renewed life as much as possible,” she said.
To achieve this goal, Can-Care offers several services, including personalised breast-fitting services for those who have undergone breast removal.
According to Wong, 8% of cancer patients, especially young women, refuse to accept chemotherapy as they fear it will affect their appearance.
As such, Can-Care provides patients with a scalp cooling treatment, “where a special cold cap is fitted onto the patient’s head when they are undergoing chemotherapy.”
This treatment is capable of reducing a common side-effect of chemotherapy which is hair loss. The cold cap also promotes faster hair regrowth.
While Wong acknowledges that cancer treatment has improved over the years in terms of effectiveness, there remains much to be done about the psychological and social issues associated with cancer.
“Cancer patients are easy targets of depression and other emotional problems,” she said.
“This could be due to lack of information or skills needed to manage the illness, lack of transportation and financial resources for treatment, and disruptions in work, school and family life, as well as the change in physical appearance.”
These accumulated problems can increase a patient’s stress levels and cause many to become demoralised, resulting in complications with the recovery process.
Patients have a long list of fears and misconceptions about cancer, and support is necessary to help keep their spirits up.
The fear that one’s days are numbered and how their families will react and be affected by their passing are particularly gripping.
Wong notes that misconceptions about chemotherapy in particular, regarding its side effects and effectiveness, have a tendency of pushing away patients from what could be a lifesaving treatment.
Many patients also worry over the cost of treatment and feel helpless about where to get treatment in the first place.
“In some areas where oncology centres are not available, patients have transportation issues as they have to travel from their homes to the city for treatment, Wong said, adding that some are on the road for hours.
“It can be very taxing especially when most cancer patients visit the hospital every two to three weeks for treatment, or monthly for follow-ups.”
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Can-Care has still reached out to patients in need of support and has thus, gone virtual with its services.
“We have launched a virtual breast-fitting service where our professional fitters will have a one-to-one personalised fitting session with patients using online communication tools, guiding them step-by-step to identify the best fitted products,” said Wong.
In addition, Can-Care remains engaged with patients through its weekly online webinars on cancer management.
Asked what she finds most rewarding about her work, Wong said that after working in the pharmaceutical line for a decade, she is well aware that there is much that can be done for patients.
The ability to simply sit down with patients and have a chat with them to help them forget their fears, even for just a moment, means a lot.
“The most rewarding moment is when patients and their caregivers thank us for our help and support, which have made their day better,” she said.
“This is what drives us at Can-Care, in the end – within our means, we want to support the well-being of cancer patients throughout their journey of recovery so that they can lead a renewed life, as much as possible.”
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