The past few years have been dark and tough for 46-year-old Tam Chek Ming ever since she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Despite life’s many struggles, her silver lining comes in the form of her five-year-old son, who is the only reason she is still holding on.
But she is running out of time.
According to GIVE.asia, Tam was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of ovarian cancer known as Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma’ after undergoing major surgery in April 2015 to remove a 12.5cm cyst.
What followed next was two years of debilitating chemotherapy that saw her losing her hair, vomiting in bed and being unable to play with her son.
Still, she persevered so that she could raise her son and watch him grow up.
“I thought it was all over and I could go back to lead a normal life. Then, the unthinkable happened, ” said the single parent and sole breadwinner of the family.
Tam’s heart sank when she was dealt another blow in September 2015: Her Stage 1C ovarian clear cell cancer has resurged aggressively to Stage 4.
Her doctor told her that any treatment at this point would merely be palliative and not curative. Immunotherapy would amount to approximately $139,000 a year, while medicine costs between $6,500 and $8,000 per dose and is administered thrice a week.
Although Tam is a subsidised patient under the MediShield Life scheme, Medifund and the Medication Assistance Fund (for Avastin), she does not have any private health insurance and neither is she covered under the CPF Dependent Protection Scheme.
“I live in a small, barebones, 45-sqm, HDB flat (1 bedroom, 1 hall). I have sold off everything that I can sell, in order to survive month-to-month,” she told GIVE.asia, adding that she often skips meals so that her son — who was prematurely born and underweight — would not go hungry.
The struggling mother is now appealing for donations to help pay for:
1. Medical bills
2. Household bills
3. Basic necessities and nutritious food
4. Journeys to and fro the hospital
5. “Bank debts left behind in my name by an abusive estranged spouse (who left the country several years ago and no contact)”
6. Daily living expenses
7. Hospice care in near future
8. Upcoming funeral expenses
9. “To set aside sufficient cash reserves for my poor mother to sustain herself and enable her to care for my young son when I pass on, as they will be in urgent need in the many years to come.”
Tam said, “I need to survive this fight for my life, for at least another few more years in order to stay with my son. He is just too young to lose his mom.
“I am appealing out of desperation as I have exhausted all my social connections and charity appeals. I have sold off anything that is of value in my small flat.
“Please help me. Any help, no matter how big or small, will make a big difference to me and my son.”
If you like to donate to Tam, please click here
