Konvensyen Wanita Anggun - Sarawak Breast Cancer Support Group Exhibition

Sunday, 22 May – This event’s purpose is to spread awareness on the symptoms of breast cancer and how important early detection of it is. Registration of participants began at 8.00 am until 10.00 am. After registration, the event began with a talk by Dr Loretta Lau Li Chia, a Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia graduate and currently working in the Emergency Unit of Pusat Jantung Negara.

            The talk started with the definition of breast cancer which is changes in the structure of cells and its spread. There are six signs of breast cancer which are lumps, pulled-in nipple, dimpling, dripping, redness or rashes as well as skin changes. Lumps are the presence of ‘Ketulan’ around the armpits or the breasts. Pulled-in nipples is when the nipples sinking into the breasts. Dimpling is sinking of the skin in parts of the breasts and dripping is discharge from the nipples such as pus or blood. Redness or rashes that is prolonged and increasingly worse. Skin changes may include change in colour.

            After her short talk, she gave a quiz on the six signs of breast cancer and also on the question, can men be diagnosed with breast cancer? The six signs was successfully answered by the committee members as well as the participants and the answer to the question posed is yes which was also answered correctly. She then played a short video on how to conduct self-examination of the breast. The video also reveals some of the reasons why breast cancer is diagnosed late which are fear, shyness and lack of support.

            Some of questions posed during Q&A session are how many stages of breast cancer, do heredity play a role and what the causes of breast cancer are. The answers are four, yes – there is an increase in risk of having breast cancer and it is inconclusive, respectively.

            After that, Mdm Etherine Yong, a survivor of breast cancer shared her experience. A year after her menopause which happened at the age of 54 years old, she found lumps in her breast. She went to the doctor and was told it was nothing and to wait a few month. After that diagnosis, she still felt uneasy, so she asked for a second opinion from another doctor and was told the same thing. A few months after that, she undergo mammogram to determine whether the lumps are caused by breast cancer. While she visiting her child at Kuala Lumpur, she received a call from her doctor advising her to return as soon as possible.

She knew the result is not good and it was confirmed by the doctor that it is breast cancer that has already reached Stage 3. When her doctor asked her what she wanted to do, her response was if the breast is infected, then to do surgery on it. Her response surprised her doctor greatly as she did not go through denial which majority of those informed undergo. After the surgery, she had to undergo four times chemotherapy and twenty-eight times radiography.

Therefore, she too emphasised on early detection through self-examination and mentioned that she worked with Sarawak Breast Cancer Support Group to spread awareness and to support those whom are diagnosed with breast cancer. After the sharing of experience by Mdm Etherine, the participants are invited to visit the exhibition booth held by Sarawak Breast Cancer Support Group and sales of t-shirts and badges are also conducted to raise funds for the Sarawak Breast Cancer Support Group. Other than the booth, there is also free breast examination done by the doctors and nurses of Pusat Jantung Negara. The event ended with a group photo around the exhibition booth.

By: Pliny Narong