Contributors
When seven-year-old Terry Goh had to undergo chemotherapy for Burkitt’s Lymphoma (a very fast growing form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma), he struggled so hard every time a needle had to be inserted that it took up to 10 people, including doctors, nurses and his mother Irene, to hold him down.
“He would scream and cry, shouting, ‘I hate you, this is all your fault’,” recounts Irene, who was forced to play the bad cop. “I would tell him, ‘You can stop crying and save your breath, because we will still need to insert the needle’,” said the housewife.
Yet when the chemotherapy was over and after Terry had calmed down, he always had a hug and an apology for his mother. Somehow, through the tears, tantrums and chemotherapy treatments that he hated, Terry understood that his mother had his best interests at heart.
Indeed, it was Irene who first noticed a lump on the right side of Terry’s neck when he was in Primary one. Terry was also snoring at night – sometimes louder than an adult. The family shuttled between polyclinics and hospitals for tests and check-ups, but by the time Terry was told of his diagnosis, the lump was already too large to remove via surgery. Terry would have to undergo chemotherapy.
But between treatments, he was a typical boy whose favourite colour is blue and he loves superheroes from Marvel film ‘The Avengers’. A boy of few words, he describes things he dislikes which include hospital visits and chemotherapy as “boring”.
Post-treatment, Terry enrolled in the Children’s Cancer Foundation’s learning centre, Place for Academic Learning and Support (PALS). PALS serves as a transitional platform to bridge the learning gap between the treatment phase and normal schooling routine. “I like to attend PALS because I have friends here and I can play Wii!”
There is a special place in Terry’s heart for his parents. “I love them. They always encourage me,” said Terry, running his tongue along freshly-sprouted adult teeth. Then, without warning, he bolted from his chair and gave his mother a big hug. There is no need for spoken words – mummy already knows.
** This story has been reprinted with permission from the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF).
ADDITIONAL NOTES: CCF introduced the Caregiver Support Services in 2007. Its activities are designed with the objectives of promoting self-care among caregivers and empowering them to assume their caregiving duties confidently. Some of these activities include the Caregiver Buddy Programme that matches suitable caregivers whose children have completed treatment to caregivers of newly-diagnosed children to provide support and caregiving tips, and TCC (Time for a Caring Chat), which serves as a psycho-educational platform for caregivers to share their experiences, exchange caregiving tips and learn about their children’s diagnosis and treatment.
