I CAN. WE WILL.

Mr Poon's Story

A family’s journey to overcome the odds

As the head of the family, Mr Poon Mun Wai, was the central force the family rallied around as their youngest daughter, Joanna Poon, was diagnosed with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in 2022. Having suffered a health scare of his own when his heart stopped in 2006, Mr Poon treats every day as a bonus day of his second life and always looks at the glass half full. It was this optimism and resilience as a caregiver that supported Joanna through her recovery from TNBC.

1. How did you feel when Joanna was first diagnosed?

Initially we didn’t think that it was very serious. We thought it’s in the early stage and will definitely be cured. As more information came in, we saw how serious it was. It was really a shock to the family. And a shock to Joanna. She really could not take it. One bad news after another. Triple negative. Advanced stage. She kept asking the doctor what stage of cancer it was and the doctor refused to tell her. The doctor only told her that it’s advanced stage breast cancer and that we shouldn’t focus on the cancer, but focus on the treatment plan. He said just go for treatment straight away. It happened so suddenly and was so serious, that’s why it was a shock to the whole family. Her mum and sister actually collapsed.

2. How do you feel about her strength and resilience to fight cancer?

I know my daughter is a fighter. She will never give up. I told her to always focus on something that we can control. You already have cancer, you can’t control it but you can control the treatment plan. After some discussion, we explored some options like whether we can bring her to TCM to strengthen her body before the chemo treatment. But the doctor advised that we don’t have time to do so...she has to start chemo straight away. We mentally prepared her to be strong as cancer affects people differently.

3. What was the most challenging part of being a caregiver?

To motivate everybody and mentally prepare for every scan result or test result. Although Joanna is a fighter, her anxiety is quite high. Every test, even a simple blood test, she really takes it very seriously. Things like this illness can be so sudden it affects family members differently. They are very emotional, not only the patient. As the head of the family, I have no choice but to stay calm. When there is a decision to be made, I have to make that decision on behalf of the whole family.

4. Were there days when you had to take time off from work, and if so, how often was this?

I was lucky that I already retired. So I did not have to fulfil obligations at work. The only thing that affected me is that I had to stop all my social activities to focus on her. All my volunteer work temporarily took a back seat. Even now I have not gone back to volunteer work.

5. How has this journey strengthened your bond and love for each other?

It’s definitely strengthened our bond. Every one of us has given up something for Joanna. Especially her sister. When Joanna was warded in hospital for almost 2 months, her elder sister actually stayed in hospital with her to keep her company. It was during Covid, and whenever her sister could work from home, she actually worked in hospital.

6. What advice would you give to caregivers?

Gather everyone together to provide the necessary support. Make sure that the patient is not walking alone. They are not alone to fight the battle, the whole family must fight the battle with them. In our case, we went to every medical appointment with her. Every session with the doctor and every chemo treatment, we were there.

They are not alone to fight the battle,
the whole family must fight the battle with them.

Share your ‘I Can’ story

Have you been diagnosed with TNBC and chose to forge ahead on your own terms? Do you have a loved one who turned to face TNBC head-on? As a caregiver, do you have tips and stories of encouragement for other caregivers?

Share your story to help empower others living with TNBC.

Remember that there is power in the community, others with a TNBC diagnosis could feel supported and inspired by understanding how you are taking on TNBC.

Do you have a story to share? Click on the button below to send your contact details and someone from the team will be in touch soon.

Submit your Story

At any point, should you wish to withdraw your story, or modify your data, please email msd@whitewords.com.sg

You are encouraged to report any negative side effects of prescription drugs to your physician or local health authority.

Privacy Policy
By contacting the email address above ( msd@whitewords.com.sg ), and sharing your contact information, you are providing consent to MSD’s agency partner, Whitewords Pte Ltd, to contact you to obtain details of the story you would like to submit. Whitewords Pte Ltd, on behalf of MSD and with your consent, will collect and record the information you provide which may include personal data that you share with us. The information collected will be used for the purpose of preparing the story that you share, which may be used and published by MSD on the ‘I Can. We Will. Singapore’ (ICWW) website as well as other MSD or ICWW platforms (online and offline). The information you provide will be handled strictly in accordance with the Singapore Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA). You shall consult your parent or guardian before providing us with your personal data if you are under the age of eighteen [18].

Adverse Event Reporting
If patient/caregivers share any information that can qualify as an adverse event, e.g. including but not limited to experiencing any side effects after treatment with any MSD products, such incidences will be shared with MSD within the stipulated timeframe as per the company guidelines. The information may be shared with MSD’s affiliates worldwide, regulatory agencies and medical authorities, and business partners acting on MSD’s behalf, for the purposes of adverse event and quality complaint reporting and responding to medical inquiries. Otherwise, we will not disclose your personal data to any third party unless compelled or permitted by law to do so or with your consent. MSD’s safety team may request for more information if adverse events are identified. We will reach out to you to seek your consent to follow up with your treating physician.

Anonymized information will also be used for statistical and quality assurance purposes. You have the right to request access to your data and correct any errors.

If you have questions or concerns regarding the processing of your personal data, withdrawal or change of consent, please contact Whitewords Pte Ltd at msd@whitewords.com.sg .

For more information on MSD’s privacy policy, visit: https://www.msdprivacy.com/sg/en/

Stories of Inner Strength

Stories of
Inner Strength

Stories of Inner Strength

Stories ofInner Strength

Stories of
Inner Strength