Opening Address by Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State for Health, at Hair for Hope 2019

Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Patron, Children’s Cancer Foundation

Mr Ho Cheng Huat, Chairperson, Children’s Cancer Foundation

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Morning.

1.         It is my pleasure to join all of you this morning at the Hair for Hope 2019, the Children’s Cancer Foundation’s (CCF) annual community outreach event that aims to raise childhood cancer awareness and garner support for children with cancer and their families.

2.         It is heartwarming to see so many of you here today who have chosen to make a bold and bald statement in support of this very meaningful event.

Building a Community of Support

3.         By coming together as one community, we stand in solidarity with children who suffer the side-effects of hair loss from cancer treatments.

4.         When Hair for Hope was started in 2003, nine CCF volunteers got together to shave their heads to show children suffering from cancer that it was okay to be bald. Over the past 16 years, nearly 56,000 heads have been shaven. Among them were many repeat shavees who come back year after year to renew their support. For this year, more than 2,500 individuals have already shaven their heads at 52 satellite events held island-wide at various companies, grassroots organisations, public agencies and schools.

5.         I salute and applaud everyone who has stepped forward to make this bold and bald statement. Your courageous and selfless act of giving will inspire many others and help build a caring community.

Childhood Cancer in Singapore

6.         According to the Singapore Childhood Cancer Registry, more than 150 children were diagnosed with cancer each year between 2014 and 2018. With the advancement in medical treatment, the survival rate of childhood cancers has improved significantly over the years. For instance, children with leukaemia, the most common childhood cancer in Singapore, now have a 90% survival rate compared to 40% in the 1980s.

CCF’s Role in Supporting Affected Children and Their Families

7.         When a child develops cancer, the diagnosis affects not only the patient, but also the entire family as they will face many challenges, including disruptions to their daily routines, schooling, coping with the cost of treatment and feeling distressed.

8.         While Singapore has achieved survivor rates that are comparable or close to the world’s top paediatric oncology hospitals, we are mindful that medical outcomes alone do not determine the overall wellbeing of children with cancer. For this reason, CCF works closely with the medical teams in the hospitals to provide psychosocial support to address the emotional and social needs of the children, providing holistic care that extends beyond the hospital to the community. This includes providing care for the children during their hospitalisation, as well as continual care to enhance the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors, such as helping them return to school after treatment.

9.         Going beyond providing direct client services, CCF also works closely with the hospitals to push the boundaries of paediatric cancer treatment to advance cure and patient care.

10.      For instance, CCF has partnered KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital since 2016 to establish a psychosocial care programme for childhood cancer survivors. The programme integrates three complementary components, namely, neuro-psychosocial support, rehabilitation and dietetics and nutritional care. Last year, CCF also partnered NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine to support a Car-T Cell Immunotherapy Programme to improve the survival rates of children with relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

11.      I want to commend CCF for making a difference in the lives of more than 3,000 children and their families since your inception. Your support has certainly helped to enhance the quality of their lives so that they can live life to the fullest.

Extraordinary Shavees

12.      I am inspired to learn that some of those who will be shaving their heads are also CCF beneficiaries. As survivors, they understand the ordeals that a cancer patient is subjected to. By braving the shave, they hope to encourage other children who are still battling cancer, to not give up.

13.      Later, I will be helping to shave the head of 19-year-old Lee Jue Lei. Jue Lei was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was 15 and is now in remission. This is her first time shaving at Hair for Hope. But this is not the first time where she has had her head shaven. When she was midway through her radiotherapy treatments, she decided to shave her head after experiencing the side-effect of hair loss. After that, she had to endure the stares of the public and friends, which made her feel self-conscious and insecure at times.

14.      Today, Jue Lei is challenging her insecurities and has decided to shave again, to tell others that it is alright to be bald. I believe we can all learn something from Jue Lei. Her determination, optimism and courage have truly inspired me, and I hope many others will also be encouraged by her.

Closing

15.      In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to applaud all shavees and volunteers for your selfless act of giving.

16.      My best wishes also, to the CCF team for your meaningful work in improving the lives of children and families affected by cancer. I wish all of you a very successful Hair for Hope 2019. Thank you.