 BCWA’s Day out at Astro 5 August 2003
On 5th August 2003, breast cancer survivors, Prof Dr Siti Hajar and Mrs Sarojini, the President of the Breast Cancer Welfare Association, Ms Ranjit Kaur and Dr Evelyn Ho, organiser of the breast cancer/health awareness programmes for the College of Radiology were guests of Astro Ria's ANITA show. This programme featured breast cancer and that there was “life” after being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. The survivors were living examples of the indomitable human spirit, mind and body!
Along to support both survivors and the President of the Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA) was a busload of 40 other members of the BCWA. They made up the major portion of the audience at the Anita talk show. It was quite an honour to be able to meet with the ebullient and elegant Anita Sarawak in person.  Mrs Sarojini was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was only 31 years old and her baby (second child – a daughter) was just 40 days old. That was 20 years ago. Today at 51 years, she has survived not only breast cancer but also thyroid cancer (unrelated to her breast cancer diagnosed 4 months prior to her thyroid cancer) and 7 years later, a spread of her breast cancer to her ovaries. Initially at the tender age of 31 years, she had felt the doom associated with the diagnosis of breast cancer, what more when she also had thyroid cancer diagnosed just months later! However, good family support and subsequently a realization that a positive outlook on life was important have helped to keep her in good health since then.
 Prof Dr Siti Hajar was also devastated when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. However, with sheer willpower, she made sure she went through all her treatment and focused on her children and need to survive to see them through adulthood. Since then, her outlook on life has changed. This gutsy lady now teaches aerobics in the University where she works as a Professor in Horticulture and has taken up horse riding.
Ms Ranjit highlighted the function of the Breast Cancer Welfare Association and how it provided emotional and psychosocial support as well as helped make external breast prostheses as a more cost effective alternative to commercially available prostheses that costs several hundred ringgit. 
| Kak Nita preps her talkshow guests | 
| Recording over, guests settles down to tea! |
Dr Ho provided the facts and “how to” for early detection. Incidentally, she is also a volunteer with the BCWA. The talk show finished with Anita interviewing Malaysian celebrity, En Zami Ismail. Recording took nearly 2 hours. This was followed by tea. All in all, it was a different kind of excursion for the BCWA - an exciting encounter with Anita Sawarak and a privilege to be on her show.
| 
