An unforgettable echo of life: A cancer warrior walks with fellow patients for 30 years
"Please don't die, Ms Law." This sentence has been deeply etched in the heart of cancer warrior Ms Law. At that time, her cancer had relapsed, and it was this sentence from her social worker that saved her. "It felt like a bolt from the blue, and I was about to give up on treatment. The social worker's constant encouragement made me realise that there were still people in the world who cared about me. I finally decided to undergo treatment again. After five months of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, my cancer has not relapsed for many years."
Eliminate confusion by sharing own experience with new patients
The Community and Patient Resource Department (C&PRD) of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (PYNEH) has been dedicated to providing support services to patients, their families, and the community since its establishment in 1995. After successfully battling cancer, Ms Law became one of the C&PRD's first peer volunteers. She and her fellow patients from the same period are like sisters. Under the leadership of the C&PRD, they co-founded the patient self-help organisation, Brightening Association, in 1996 to support breast and gynecological cancer patients, so that no one has to walk the anti-cancer journey alone.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the department, the team organised the C&PRD 30th anniversary party and invited the hospital management, Head Office representatives, community partners, patient group representatives, volunteers, patients, and caregivers to join. "We accompany patients at different stages of treatment in various ways. In addition to hospital ward visits, we also organise small gift-making classes to give handmade items to fellow patients. We also hold laughter yoga classes, Baduanjin training classes, and more to enhance the physical and mental health of cancer survivors," Ms Law shares. "I regard the C&PRD as my second home. I hope to share my own experience with new patients, to influence life with life, so that their anti-cancer journey has less confusion and more love and care. Seeing a patient's frown turn into a smile gives me a sense of accomplishment that I find very meaningful." She has this message for new patients: "To overcome the disease, you must actively face reality and have the personal will to persevere."
Turn crisis into opportunity during the epidemic
"The COVID-19 epidemic in 2019 brought significant challenges to our volunteer services and the C&PRD's three centres: Cancer Patient Resource Centre, Nethersole Patient Resource Centre and Mental Health Resource Centre," recalls Rebecca Wong, Department in-charge of the C&PRD at PYNEH. "At that time, our social workers found it difficult to organise in-person health education talks and psychosocial support groups, so we switched to online formats for educational seminars. We discovered that this approach worked well. Virtual sessions attracted even more patients and family members to participate. For example, in the stress-relief sachet-making workshop, the C&PRD first mailed the materials to participants' homes, and then instructors taught the process online, allowing participants to learn new skills without leaving home. In addition, after the annual Hong Kong East Cluster Symposium on Community Engagement provided online participation, the number of registrations increased from a venue that could only accommodate a few hundred people to over 4,000 this year. The response was enthusiastic."
As the district faces the challenge of an ageing population, the C&PRD plans to continue to work hand in hand with clinical teams and non-profit organisations to build a caring network and promote more medical social cooperation projects, especially to strengthen end-of-life care services and enhance support for caregivers to meet future healthcare needs.
