Showing posts with label Seow Yun Rong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seow Yun Rong. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

'I felt like an ugly duckling'

Source Website: http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/content/i-felt-ugly-duckling
By Seow Yun Rong, The New Paper, Monday, Oct 26, 2015


Former singer-actress Foyce Le Xuan underwent two operations on her right breast in 2013.<br>She says she struggled with self-esteem issues while undergoing treatment.
PHOTO: Former singer-actress Foyce Le Xuan underwent two operations on her right breast in 2013.
She says she struggled with self-esteem issues while undergoing treatment.
Photo: The New Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7O55y3x9QcaGu3USeXgszFGPWZ62VCEugTkVcRc0B9hSrJ2SokPf-1B7Z7I_U2PuKDv2ze-AsKPHVMGdoAl6bYIWInvtjI556QgdmCxoFTJfG3Gnm4tZoba5PYsie0_LiKF5LmxaVPjc/s1600/foycebreastcancer_3.jpg
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/original_images/Oct2015/foycebreastcancer_3.jpg
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/content/i-felt-ugly-duckling


She posted about her fight with cancer on Facebook, hoping for support.

Instead some netizens' comments upset former singer-actress Foyce Le Xuan.

This happened in 2013, right after her surgery while she was still in the hospital.

For someone who loved getting her fans' attention on social media platforms, the comments shocked her.


SURVIVOR: Foyce is declared cancer-free but her fans' comments shocked her.
PHOTO: SURVIVOR: Foyce is declared cancer-free but her fans' comments shocked her.
"It hurt me and made me feel depressed about my state. The emotional pain that brought me to the lowest point in my life."
Photo: The New Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggdI0JmVqomTJLABxwVn7o5DSOzjCRfSPa-PH2AUtrVQc4m-EgdKmHe_KO2noKe5ppzgcb6Y-aBUFmkyeMwgYND0QUaw9Nq0RC_LaQk2Wb-yu1Vt8vz_DV21mC2P-aDddEpZw_ql8JLec/s1600/foyce6.jpg
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/original_images/Oct2013/foyce6.jpg
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/content/i-felt-ugly-duckling


She tells The New Paper on Sunday: "At that time, I thought it was the right thing to do but after seeing comments and even well wishes, it hurt me and made me feel depressed about my state."

She says although she appeared optimistic and energetic, it was all a facade.

She says: "It wasn't the physical pain but the emotional pain that brought me to the lowest point in my life."

Foyce says she found out she had cancer that year after returning from Taiwan where she had been training to become a singer.

While in Singapore, she decided to go for a full-body check-up as she was experiencing abnormal bleeding and irregular periods.

The test reports confirmed that she had two malignant lumps in her right breast. It was then confirmed that she had Stage 1 breast cancer.


'My doctor has told me that since one of the lumps is very near my lymph nodes, and if the histology report shows that the cancer has spread there or to other parts, I would likely be advised to remove my breast.<br>If I have to, I would remove it because above all, my will to live is strong.'
PHOTO: 'My doctor has told me that since one of the lumps is very near my lymph nodes, and if the histology report shows that the cancer has spread there or to other parts, I would likely be advised to remove my breast.
If I have to, I would remove it because above all, my will to live is strong.'
Photo: The New Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OGMF2Fcz31KshD3hQww_VEr3EBG1Yll4hmakFgJ8JZ46hUNTqU1T5dhYpX5WKWa1H2u0714COMNX-8XpubBzGwXFWOwg3v3YZ8p561UOT1knkyg2JGWOEWjbHcqmxK_pPU1ye7-nNys/s1600/foyce5.jpg
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/original_images/Nov2013/foyce5.jpg
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/content/i-felt-ugly-duckling


FAMILY HISTORY
The 35-year-old says she has a family history of cancer. Her father was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer when she was 14. That was in 1994. He was the second man to be diagnosed with breast cancer in Singapore.

After treatment, he was declared cancer-free in 2012.

She says: "Even though my father had breast cancer before and I appeared very strong to several media outlets, the test results were actually a very big blow to me."

Foyce underwent two operations on her right breast.

The first was to remove the lumps and confirm the diagnosis, and the second was a partial mastectomy to remove the remaining cancerous breast tissue.

After these two operations, she subsequently removed the uterine polyps that caused the abnormal bleeding.


After these two operations, she subsequently removed the uterine polyps that caused the abnormal bleeding.
PHOTO: After these two operations, she subsequently removed the uterine polyps that caused the abnormal bleeding.
Photo: The New Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4qSO2v_0glDoXrlkVbreJL-MEubIamXpoEpjZiKcxk3AxP36NIJoGJKA8BENf-y7CwDGLaknNfNwTHZi9UcQ87Pndd8Kbs5frYe5kg-iDcqGRZiK3fSHJLCpiSdYr8oYPE0pNqQ8tg4/s1600/foyce08.jpg
http://news.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/w641/public/original_images/Oct2013/foyce08.jpg?itok=dPShjXjJ
http://news.asiaone.com/news/yourhealth/foyce-le-xuan-goes-breast-cancer-surgery
 

She says she struggled with self-esteem issues while undergoing treatment.

She would pile on make-up before friends' visits as she felt like an "ugly duckling" while undergoing hormone therapy ­- even though she did not lose her hair, as she did not have chemotherapy.

Weight gain and mood swings - side effects of hormone therapy - depressed her further.

Foyce's dream of being a singer in Taiwan has been delayed, but she says she may go back one day.

She is now cancer-free but returns to Mount Elizabeth Hospital for check-ups every three months.

Foyce has been working from home as a fund manager for about two years.

She says: "For now, I like living a carefree lifestyle, but maybe one day I will go back (to Taiwan) when I am ready."

She says throughout her ordeal, her family and circle of friends kept her strong.


The singer-actress is known for having stepped forward to share that she was sexually harassed by local director Jack Neo when she was working in J Team Productions.
PHOTO: The singer-actress is known for having stepped forward to share that she was sexually harassed by local director Jack Neo when she was working in J Team Productions.
This came after the disclosure of Jack Neo's affair with Wendy Chong in March 2010.
Photo: The New Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMj69rwy_evzmak-OvCqwWr5-VQPjJEK9KJdXPjPNBM9FcvyErdNNJ-ulQGfGyo3mO7cBjetu-5E8zoZ4_yzJJkRns07gCTQkc7MgzgQKDaBJBxzSfhXbAjjrh0BdEkjADuYqIiQzzTB4/s1600/20151026_Foyce_tnp.jpg
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/original_images/Oct2015/20151026_Foyce_tnp.jpg
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/content/i-felt-ugly-duckling


HER FATHER HAD BREAST CANCER TOO
Foyce's father, Mr Lim Yong Joo, a 62-year-old retiree, sought treatment in 1994 after months of pain and noticing that his chest had changed colour.

Doctors were stumped. Even before his surgery to test his breast tissue, his doctor said breast cancer was unlikely.

The surgery proved him to be the second man in Singapore with breast cancer. It had advanced to Stage 3.

Mr Lim had a mastectomy, which involved removing the nipple areola, surrounding breast tissue and lymph nodes, and radiotherapy.

The surgery went well and he received radiotherapy almost daily for a few months after he was discharged from the National Cancer Centre Singapore. Now he goes back for check-ups annually. In 2012, he was declared cancer-free.

Mr Lim declined to speak to TNPS.

Foyce says: "He is not an expressive person, but he has his own ways of showing that he cares." Foyce's mother, brother, 37, and sister, 32, have not been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her mother and sister have annual breast checks.


She is now cancer-free but returns to Mount Elizabeth Hospital for check-ups every three months.<br>She says throughout her ordeal, her family and circle of friends kept her strong.
PHOTO: She is now cancer-free but returns to Mount Elizabeth Hospital for check-ups every three months.
She says throughout her ordeal, her family and circle of friends kept her strong.
Photo: The New Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjvjaQYwRkkzgMBRU66i8PA9t0HndNw-FYcUXbY8BHfY-cfdCvra31ERPSGMkh57wyUTkuY3GPaJKiSm2WiB2oaEx6ASY_1gELpVSMJcG6zBC20jDJH0w6xTTa0q2HjB3qpczbWFGaLJo/s1600/foycebreastcancer_2.jpg
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/original_images/Oct2015/foycebreastcancer_2.jpg
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/content/i-felt-ugly-duckling


BREAST CANCER SCREENING CRUCIAL
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

And the Singapore Cancer Society is pushing for more women to be screened because breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Singapore.

More than 9,200 women were diagnosed between 2010 and last year. Over the years, a number of breast cancer patients have also talked openly about their fight to create awareness of the need for screening.

That is because breast cancer accounts for nearly 30 per cent of all cancer cases here.

But only one in three of those aged 50 to 69 was screened in the last two years, said National University Cancer Institute's senior consultant breast surgeon Chan Ching Wan.
By Seow Yun Rong, The New Paper, Monday, Oct 26, 2015
This article was first published on October 25, 2015.
Get The New Paper for more stories.


BREAST CANCER SCREENING CRUCIAL
BREAST CANCER SCREENING CRUCIAL
PHOTO: BREAST CANCER SCREENING CRUCIAL
More than 9,200 women were diagnosed between 2010 and last year. Over the years, a number of breast cancer patients have also talked openly about their fight to create awareness of the need for screening.
That is because breast cancer accounts for nearly 30 per cent of all cancer cases here.
But only one in three of those aged 50 to 69 was screened in the last two years, said National University Cancer Institute's senior consultant breast surgeon Chan Ching Wan.
Picture posted by Blueforce, Hatena
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi-DDLMbghQSRLzu8SRO-um7KfiljQj56RUd7AStIw0-fjmECRUpcxUFxZIvzI0ehthjck_ShWEy5axrp4R-12LhefokRrEPcS1ggaJaOs_V7EmZQ_iC5BSfTgSePirk3zw2CpV8XDLQ/s1600/20070814014126.jpg
http://f.hatena.ne.jp/Blueforce/20070814014126
http://f.st-hatena.com/images/fotolife/B/Blueforce/20070814/20070814014126.jpg
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/Blueforce/?of=191


Tomrrow morning admission to Mount Elizabeth Hospital, operation to cut off the whole solid lump in my breast, that reads irregular on ultrasound. Further scanning of MRI scan report its read malignant, cancerous. ☹ Despair obstacles once again set forth my life. Friends, do pray for my operation and condition, that there will be no extreme pain, no tears, no distress,
PHOTO: "Tomrrow morning admission to Mount Elizabeth Hospital, operation to cut off the whole solid lump in my breast, that reads irregular on ultrasound. Further scanning of MRI scan report its read malignant, cancerous. ☹ Despair obstacles once again set forth my life. Friends, do pray for my operation and condition, that there will be no extreme pain, no tears, no distress," she wrote on her Facebook.
Picture posted by Blueforce, Hatena
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPTv6juQDwF5GT4ax526BDVArx-F_uZXWtee1z3yJepvP9pw6dko8VQLMLY5FCvbqqj0aP8rjeRW4zengNWliYTAkOeDidQNfqgqgvrRe3uIO7Es3sctJslY48b5dORlamct6Zg6Ub1s/s1600/20070814014112.jpg
http://f.st-hatena.com/images/fotolife/B/Blueforce/20070814/20070814014112.jpg
http://f.hatena.ne.jp/Blueforce/20070814014112
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/Blueforce/?of=191

 'I felt like an ugly duckling'

PHOTO: 'I felt like an ugly duckling'
Not to worry, trust and be obedient to God with all your heart; you may yet turn into another beautiful swan.
Picture posted by Blueforce, Hatena
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6v6szftns5_c6VzJtM1yOifLDR9FRjMw1yKNj0mUERWcf6Pwh0uIvX9jfgjCc5zZzgrCbvEwC5VxFoBZ5p3HG1NiFLpXceo58I_lbypKbNkCTCnMmCB8LWrn4LczslnRSMGaPSCb3F0/s1600/20070814014306.jpg
http://f.st-hatena.com/images/fotolife/B/Blueforce/20070814/20070814014306.jpg
http://f.hatena.ne.jp/Blueforce/20070814014306
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/Blueforce/?of=191


Facebook: Foyce Le Xuan 乐轩 in The Spirit Compendium
PHOTO: Facebook: Foyce Le Xuan 乐轩 in The Spirit Compendium
Posted by thespiritcompendium on Thursday, 14 August 2008
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipo75j7eEiMyN-93nIVI3Mev2ZMiaqvXPkwYP4-RfvnrFiMHguLmoRgdO0KsqkVrLgkFo5WU7Oucd-4hpVu-hK9604d0aI18YRxiQhLEBBcCJ77P02s2rj5Oil-OCBSpqtv_hcKXhD8R4/s1600/u-weekly+home+interview.JPG
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5kmVcM4AHawj6VQ57bcGmWw_xQX5K2XLJ9QJHMZbez3IAqZydFtJ3_pRY9jcgTpKBrrAlrD8ty7Od168sPYPLb02ObQD6GTpXAfT_O2DMOs_KHlHOJmYavaRU2WtbYxgaL64CadCbn8/s1600/u-weekly+home+interview.JPG
http://thespiritcompendium.blogspot.sg/2008/08/foyce-le-xuan.html



Reference
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, October 12, 2015

Tissue seller faces 'greedy, able-bodied' competitors

My Paper, Monday, October 23, 2015, Page A7, Top Stories
From http://epaper.mypaper.sg/epc/en/2015-10-12/
Source Website: http://mypaper.sg/top-stories/tissue-seller-faces-greedy-able-bodied-competitors-20151012
By Seow Yun Rong, The New Paper, Published on Oct 12, 2015


TENACIOUS
PHOTO: TENACIOUS: Mr Isa, 63, had to turn to selling tissue paper after he lost his right leg in a car accident in 2009. He lives in a rental flat apart from his family. The licensed tissue seller sells three packets for a dollar.
PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhgC5k994oXazKRXJBqYL8EGuFdzG9poKmZATc-9S_GZ18Xe692vWk3GX42GZlRFYK9cWagEVNRlTAWy_9Wnt6qPVi4btcocdTF7TFTIuVaRG_gp7YMntanNigbLdVLI495Jtmqz-4WE/s1600/Mr+Isa%252C+63.jpg
http://mypaper.sg/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/20151012/MY_20151012_TNPTISSUE12_P_1751974.jpg
http://mypaper.sg/top-stories/tissue-seller-faces-greedy-able-bodied-competitors-20151012


IT IS 10.30pm. Mohamad Isa Saat, 63, hobbles along Bedok Road and approaches a group of diners at a popular Halal restaurant.

He stops and leans on one of his crutches, with one hand holding four packets of tissue paper.

"Uncle, aunty, you want tissue paper?" he asks politely.


He stops and leans on one of his crutches, with one hand holding four packets of tissue paper.
PHOTO: He stops and leans on one of his crutches, with one hand holding four packets of tissue paper.
Photo Source: The New Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWn4BSylGr5BObVl1zk5Zt48qd_xRyl8tkrDbSfoLRlgdGZf2nGbUowbOZnYWZH4e93GrBm9lWiimf34CVDHaFdOz4lhhm6CnjzBRe_tGRlJgsvxpq-bxurVFEfMNDDKO2eq3d8t73rM/s1600/tissue02_0.jpg
http://news.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/w641/public/original_images/Oct2015/tissue02_0.jpg?itok=1ifGGxMO
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/tissue-seller-faces-greedy-able-bodied-competitors


The diners glance at him and immediately notice that he is disabled, without his right leg. One gives him $1 for the tissue packets.

Mr Isa calls out well wishes to the buyer: "May your wishes come true and God bless you." He then hobbles to the next table.

He is part of a small group here - one of the few people who have a license issued by the National Environment Agency to sell tissue paper (see other report).


Mr Isa calls out well wishes to the buyer:


PHOTO: Mr Isa calls out well wishes to the buyer: "May your wishes come true and God bless you." He then hobbles to the next table.
Photo Source: The New Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtl7DKvGFbzYCIv1tSZJa263jBfHNtiiM-egveYYtyEhXNFh_2J-34hdFZsXb-0PjJGd_YlaGaVkgMBd9OjZG43HV4KImj1sP-NntsSlo4oV8skQx7LqP2BQwapeYlLyOhw5DmnjOFJ4/s1600/tissue04_0.jpg
http://news.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/w641/public/original_images/Oct2015/tissue04_0.jpg?itok=QBUIy_3a
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/tissue-seller-faces-greedy-able-bodied-competitors


The conditions of the license say that he must sell from a single spot, but Mr Isa goes around the eateries at Bedok.

He says he has an "okay" to do so, but will not say from whom.

Mr Isa was persuaded to let The New Paper (TNP) shadow him for a day after this reporter explained that the paper is trying to understand the lives of tissue paper peddlers in Singapore.

Mr Isa is grateful for the license, which he received only a few months ago.

He has been selling tissue packets for about two years, after losing his right leg in a car accident in 2009.

He remembers only that a car crashed into the taxi he was riding in.

A SIMPLE LIFE
He subsequently lost his job, and says he had to turn to selling tissue paper for a living.

No one would hire him after he lost his leg, he claims.

He lives apart from his family - he is divorced and his two children have their own families to look after.

Home for the past four years has been a rental flat which he shares with a flatmate. He lives simply and goes to the nearby hawker centres for food.


He is part of a small group here - one of the few people who have a license issued by the National Environment Agency to sell tissue paper.

PHOTO: He is part of a small group here - one of the few people who have a license issued by the National Environment Agency to sell tissue paper.
Photo Source: The New Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlpUSU8cC3irxT1gM-wzPmEDYKOzKXlqdhZ3SRy5PrrHnFBh5WaXmgxCn4I2byOtwectLyPb9loHsAjfPz4fJQfrLZPHlF0VqGDj7KP8BF998-fc61M-1z9rug5Tk_XzUeaMEzQviXGg/s1600/tissue05_0.jpg
http://news.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/w641/public/original_images/Oct2015/tissue05_0.jpg?itok=kiMXosW6
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/tissue-seller-faces-greedy-able-bodied-competitors


He even skips his meals sometimes.

Mr Isa says ruefully: "When I told my family I might start selling tissue, they were so shocked and asked if I had other options."

It was difficult in the beginning. He wore a cap pulled down low over his head so that no one would recognise him.

"I felt very embarrassed and scared that people who recognise me will find out that I'm selling tissue. But now I'm okay, because the people here (Bedok) make me feel welcome."

Mr Isa says he makes a good living, selling three packets for a dollar.

He gets his supply of tissue packets from ABC Bargain Centre near Bedok Interchange at $4.90 for 72 Beautex tissue packets.

He claims he once made $8,000 in a month. But he has no way of proving this.

When TNP watched him from afar one night last week, 10 people bought tissues from him in an hour.

Five gave him $2, four gave him a dollar and one gave him $10. But he cannot go on for hours without rest.


He has been selling tissue packets for about two years, after losing his right leg in a car accident in 2009.

PHOTO: He has been selling tissue packets for about two years, after losing his right leg in a car accident in 2009. Before he started selling tissue, he had very little savings because most of the money was used for medical bills. He also had no savings in his Central Provident Fund account. Despite his struggles, Mr Isa said: "I'm very happy and glad that I'm still alive."
Photo Source: The New Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NOnYeh0iYBnqnTWY1LkA4-cKtT5g2bNhMueA2bIf5U_8p12LC6A-PEI9_hyphenhyphenbRBtR1sBLpB7rAMQJl2E-czogjZy35HLF5onRXcwfr0nrzyglYpp8qSuJeYMp87If9cSNLKkpyOQBwD0/s1600/tissue10_0.jpg
http://news.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/w641/public/original_images/Oct2015/tissue10_0.jpg?itok=qpRNTUe7
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/tissue-seller-faces-greedy-able-bodied-competitors


Although he works from 6.30pm to past midnight "every day", he was nowhere to be found on subsequent nights.

When TNP tailed him for the day, he told the paper he was concerned about preserving his livelihood. There is more competition from other sellers these days.

There is a middle-aged woman who also sells tissue in his area. He grumbled that a man with no fingers sometimes accompanies her to gain more sympathy.

Mr Isa says: "Maybe after seeing my state, she decided to bring him in."

Regular customers and shopkeepers in the area have also witnessed the competition between the tissue peddlers.

Lalit Kumar, a 30-year-old senior manager of a restaurant there, says that usually there are three or four tissue peddlers in the area.

He said: "Abang (Malay for brother, referring to Mr Isa) is the nicest and he doesn't force people to buy his tissues, unlike a woman who always disturbs the customers and blocks the way."

'FOREIGN' RIVALS
Mr Isa has to also compete with foreigners.

He says they are from Vietnam and China. "Some of them are very greedy, they not only sell at Bedok, but also go all over Singapore."

He finds it hard because not only are these able-bodied folks quicker than him, but they also may be selling for the wrong reasons.

Mr Isa heard from a regular customer that these foreign tissue sellers are actually on holiday to visit their children who are working here.


Mr Isa is grateful for the license, which he received only a few months ago.

PHOTO: Mr Isa is grateful for the license, which he received only a few months ago.
Photo Source: The New Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_T4xKnH8-CgdVtykr8CFuag7ydeWEtiUeW0XN_Z06HiGz0LZV99JJfqpMUE2fhTng84dxawcYXET1daC9Q6KxcX4xBAHorQo9uoSrjZxGSRHQFFbVoTCNMM5hlfHCfnnmikLN2T0hW0/s1600/tissue09_0.jpg
http://news.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/w641/public/original_images/Oct2015/tissue09_0.jpg?itok=2-GBMhZO
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/tissue-seller-faces-greedy-able-bodied-competitors


Shaking his head, he says he can only hope that they will stop and give needy people here a chance.

Mr Isa hopes to one day save enough to go on the haj pilgrimage.

Before he started selling tissue, he had very little savings because most of the money was used for medical bills.

He also had no savings in his Central Provident Fund account.

Despite his struggles, Mr Isa said: "I'm very happy and glad that I'm still alive."

By Seow Yun Rong, The New Paper, Published on Oct 12, 2015
Additional reporting by Hariz Baharudin
 


Reference
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)