My name is Linda Wong. I was diagnosed with breast cancer for more than 20 years. When my doctor first told me, I was very surprised, sad, and scared. I also felt there was no one I could talk to. My doctor referred me to join a cancer patient support group and I found out there were many patients who had the same disease and some of them were even more serious than me. At that moment, I didn’t feel alone anymore.
After my recovery, I wanted to help other cancer patients to overcome their difficulties. I participated in a training program to become a peer support volunteer and went to different hospitals and clinics to help and support cancer patients.
Many patients do not want to speak out when they are first diagnosed. If a cancer survivor can provide peer support, it could mean a lot to a patient. The launching of ChineseSHARE and the services they provide is a great news to the Chinese community.