BREAST CANCER WELFARE ASSOCIATION

The Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA) was founded in January 1986 by medical specialists who realised the need for peer support for women with breast cancer. The Association was officially registered in July 1988. A full time Administrator works in the Association’s rented premises on Monday-Friday at 10.00 am to 4.30 pm.

Yang Mulia Raja Toh Puan Teh Zaitun Binti Raja Kamarulzaman is the Patron of the BCWA. She has been patron since the BCWA was formed in 1986. In 2007, Yang Berbahagia Puan Sri Datin Seri Dato’ Akmal Abdul Salam was officially introduced to the members as a second Patron of the BCWA.

Introduction
Objectives of BCWA
Management of BCWA
Executive Committee 2006-2008 & Technical Advisors
Support for Women with Breast Cancer
Education for the Public
Networking and Supporting Medical Professionals
Upgrading Knowledge and Skills of BCWA Volunteers
The FUTURE
Annual General Meetings
- Report on the 2009 AGM
- Report on the 2008 AGM
- Report on the 2007 AGM
- Report on the 2006 AGM
- Report on the 2005 AGM
- Report on the 2004 AGM
- Report on the 2003 AGM 

BCWA is an independent tax-exempt voluntary organisation registered with the Registrar of Societies in Malaysia. It is a self-help support group. Its members comprise breast cancer survivors, family members of breast cancer patients, related professionals and interested persons. The mission of BCWA rests on the philosophy that a volunteer or a breast cancer survivor uses her experience to help another woman recovering from with breast cancer.

The objectives of the BCWA are:

• Provision of psychosocial support to breast cancer patients before, during and after treatment
• Assistance in procuring non-medical physical aids for breast cancer patients
• Public education in breast self examination
• Education of members on related areas of women's health
  
  

The BCWA is managed by an Executive Committee that is elected every two years. Currently, the Executive Committee functions in consultation with a panel of Technical Advisors who are mostly medical experts in the field of Breast Cancer. Those who serve the BCWA lend their time and effort on a voluntary basis.

L to R: Margaret Lee, Tammy Tam, Lee Fay Ling, Siew Mei Quin, Dr Kanaheswari, Ranjit Kaur, Wong Mee Yee, Chin Keat Yue, Azizah Wayat, Ang Siew Lan

President:
Ranjit Kaur

Vice President:
Dr Kanaheswari Yoganathan

Executive Director:
Barbara Khoo Gaik Suan

Honorary Secretary:
Chin Keat Yue

Treasurer:
Siew Mei Quin

Committee Members:
Tammy Tam
Wong Mee Yee
Azizah Wayat

Additional Committee Members Nominated by Executive Committee:
Margaret Lee
Ang Siew Lan
Lee Fay Ling

Chatline Editor:
Khoo Gaik Sim

Executive Administrator:
Marion Khor

Technical Advisors 2008-2010:
Prof Dr Yip Cheng Har (Consultant Breast Surgeon)
Dr Evelyn Ho (Consultant Clinical Radiologist and President, College of Radiology, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia)
Dr Ednin Hamzah (CEO and Medical Director, Hospis Malaysia)
Dr Patricia Gomez (Consultant Breast Surgeon)

Individual Psychosocial support
Adequately trained breast cancer survivors provide individual psychosocial support to help newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and their loved ones to cope with life during and after diagnosis and treatment. Individual psychosocial support is offered in face-to-face sessions, through telephone or email. On their first visit, the Patient Support Team of Survivors provides a newly diagnosed patient with a temporary prosthesis and written material to help her cope emotionally, mentally and physically with her diagnosis, treatment and recovery. All BCWA volunteers work on a voluntary basis. The Patient Support Team visits patients in various hospitals at regular internals, namely, Hospital Kuala Lumpur on Thursday afternoons, University Malaya Medical Centre on Friday afternoons and Putrajaya Hospital every first Saturday. 

BCWA members having a chat

Group Psychosocial Support
Therapeutic Social Activities are organised to help women with breast cancer cope and deal with their treatment and recovery, and eventually take control of their lives again. In these sessions, irrespective of educational, ethnic and social background, women with breast cancer are able to benefit from mutual support, fellowship and camaraderie fostered. Group sharing sessions are held at 2.30pm every third Saturday when women and their family can seek solutions to living after breast cancer through mutually sharing experiences, concerns and issues.  

At least once a month social activities are organised so that inter-personal relationships, not possible during discussions, may be formed. Events such as cooking competitions, group games and skin care sessions are another way of making available therapeutic sessions for women with breast cancer.    

Education and awareness programmes on breast cancer issues
The BCWA organises education and awareness programmes such as talks and forums on issues related to breast cancer. Although these sessions are targeted for breast cancer survivors, members of the public are also welcome. Some of the topics are on diet, exercises, Radiological procedures in breast cancer, Chemotherapy, etc.  

BCWA sewing committee with their “home made” fibre prostheses

Non-medical aids and prostheses
The volunteers of BCWA design and sew fibre prostheses which are offered at minimum cost or for free to breast cancer survivors who cannot afford to purchase imported prostheses. Survivors are taught how to use hand-made prostheses on a permanent basis.            

Women undergoing chemotherapy may experience temporary hair loss. To overcome this problem and to avoid purchasing expensive hair-pieces, wigs are made available by BCWA free of cost.

Newsletter
The Chatline is published and disseminated to the members on a quarterly basis. Currently it is printed in the English language with a few articles in Bahasa Malaysia.

Chatline is also available for download on this web site. Please click here!

Reading Material
A small library of books, phamplets and audio-visual materials is available. Topics covered include guidelines for patients experiencing radiation/chemotheraphy and lymphoedema, exercise guides as well as lighter reading materials such as poems, rehabilitation topics and life experiences.

A Hands-on session in a Self Breast Examination Workshop

Exhibitions, talks and forums are conducted for the public to promote breast health awareness, including topics like breast self-examination, early detection of abnormal changes in the breast, and living after breast cancer. These events are organised for all levels of the community including residents associations, service clubs, women’s groups and secondary schools. One such event that requires special mention is the Breast Cancer Awareness Month of October, when exhibitions are organised at shopping malls in the Klang Valley. Educational materials pertaining to breast cancer are displayed for the public to view. Talks are organised and educational pamphlets in different languages are distributed.

BCWA is in constant communication with related organizations such as the Breast Clinics of the government and private hospitals, Ministry of Women and Family Development, Associations of Health Care Professionals, Hospis, Women’s Organisations (such as National Council for Women’s Organisations).  Discussions to exchange views between BCWA members, medical experts and paramedics are carried out so that all are working towards the same goal.  

BCWA volunteers and survivors receive regular formal and informal training sessions. Volunteers are trained to give psychosocial support and to conduct public education programmes in breast health awareness, breast self-examination and early detection.  

The BCWA receives regular support and medical updates from members of the Academy of Medicine, College of Radiology and Malaysian Oncological Society. 

The activities and operations of BCWA are funded through membership subscription, which is nominal and through public donations, including annual donations from a few corporate organisations. Currently, all activities of BCWA are carried out in rented premises with space constraints. The BCWA has since moved from the small space on the 2^nd floor to a larger office on the 5^th Floor of the same building and the hunt find their own building has taken a back seat temporarily. Even so, funds are always needed for the myriad activities.

Donors who wish to donate may do so in cash or kind. The Association can make available Tax Exempt receipts for cash donations. Cheques can be made payable to Breast Cancer Welfare Association Selangor & Wilayah.

Discuss, feedback and ask us questions at the Radiology Malaysia FORUM

BCWA Contact Details
5^th Floor Bangunan
Sultan Salahuddin
Abdul Aziz Shah, 16 Jalan Utara, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Tel:603-79540133
Fax: 603-79540122
(Mon-Fri: 10am to 4pm)E-mail: bcwa@streamyx.com

Volunteer for the BCWA?
Breast cancer not only affects the patient. It also affects their families and love ones. The BCWA can help to provide support to all those in need.

If you would like to volunteer your services to the BCWA, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Donate to the BCWA Building Fund!
We face severe space constraints currently. We are raising funds to build our own premises. You can help by donating in cash (cheques payable to the Breast Cancer Welfare Association) or kind.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you need more information!