AS people all over the world marked World Cancer Day yesterday — with the aim of uniting everyone in the fight against the painful and deadly disease — four Malaysians are doing their bit to raise awareness.
Walk against cancer
Last year, 43-year-old Mahendran Suriyanarayanan made a 960km solo walk from Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah, to Johor Baru, Johor, to raise awareness of cancer and funds for the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM).
Preparing to brave heatstroke and aching knees again, this year, he has set his sights on walking across Sabah and Sarawak. In two weeks time, he will start his 1,680km journey, which will kick off from Lundu, Kuching, to Kudat, Sabah.
“The first walk took me four months to complete. Along the way, I visited cancer wards in hospitals to spend time with patients, encourage them to continue fighting the disease and spread cheer.
“This year, I will be doing the same in Sabah and Sarawak, and I would like to have a vehicle following me as I will be walking through uneven terrain and harsh landscapes.”
Mahendran trained for his new challenge by walking 20 to 25km four times a week.
Members of the public who wish to support Mahendran can visit his PeopleGiving campaign website at https://www.cancer.org.my/2132-2/ or his Facebook page “Walk for Cancer Malaysia”.
Sweet fundraising
Last month, pharmaceutical sales executive Andrew Ting, 34 and his wife started raising funds for cancer by selling candy imprinted with images provided by NCSM.
Costing RM15 and sold in packs of three, the first candy features a female caricature, the second is teal bands on balloons (for cervical cancer awareness), and the third bearing the word “Thank You”.
“We got a booth at a small music festival and promoted the cancer awareness candies. NCSM also supported us by giving cervical cancer vaccination vouchers to donors.
“Interestingly, we discovered that women were willing to donate, so we really encourage the men to dig into their pockets and give,” said Ting, who is running Candy Craft Malaysia with his spouse.
Ting’s two uncles are battling the disease. One suffers from liver cancer, and the other has been afflicted in his kidney.
Candy Craft Malaysia is giving a 10 per cent discount for orders of personalised candies on its Facebook page, where another 10 per cent of the sales will be donated to NCSM.
Artists unite
The Malaysian Artists Society (PPM) will be holding the “Heart to Heart Charity Art Exhibition” from Feb 17 to Feb 22 to raise funds for cancer patients at the Lung Hua Art Museum, 7/F HuaZhong Building in Serdang, Selangor.
A total of 98 artworks from 37 PPM artists will be on sale to raise funds for the Children’s Home of Hope run by NCSM.
The event is co-organised by the Malaysian Chinese Cultural Society, KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall and the HuaZhong Cultural Consultative Committee.
Its national president and professional artist, Shirley Chu, has been raising funds for cancer awareness with the Hospis Malaysia Council for 13 years.
Running for patients
Fazlin Mohammad, 44, was inspired to take part in The Standard Chartered KL Marathon in 2015 to raise funds for NCSM after losing a beloved uncle to colon cancer the year before.
Fazlin, who is a duty manager at Malaysia Airlines Lounge, said at that time, she was a flight attendant and she spent as many days-off as she could with him.
“He was a patient in Hospital Kuala Lumpur and I was with him when he died. Seeing him fighting the disease really affected me to this day.
“Today, I decided to do something about it as I also have friends who are battling with the disease,” she said, adding that a former colleague has recently been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.
“To inspire her, I told her that I will be running for her this year.”
Fazlin will join the event’s half marathon and is training with her husband, Omar Fahmy, who will be running the full marathon.
