KUCHING: Anna was nine years old when she was first diagnosed with cancer. Coming down with poor physical conditions weeks after the discovery, she was directed from the nearest clinic to Sarawak General Hospital — a four-hour journey — to undergo some tests.
With no relatives in Kuching and no place to stay, Anna and her mother were approached by the Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS) who provided them shelter.
After getting her test results, Anna was confirmed to suffer from leukaemia — a malignant progressive disease in which the bone marrow and other blood-forming organs produce increased numbers of immature or abnormal leukocytes.
She started to undergo chemotherapy, which caused her to lose hair by the day and become bald. It made her feel different from everyone else, so she wore a hat to cover her bald head.
Join her in her journey as SCCS hosts ‘Anna beats Cancer Balloon Maze’ at Vivacity Megamall until tomorrow.
The exhibition, featuring balloon sculptures in the maze, along with storyboards in three languages, illustrates Anna’s journey in combating cancer and also the support that was given to her and her family by SCCS.
Anna is a fictional character, created by SCCS to tell the story of a cancer patient. The storyline, though fictional, is something that every cancer patient can relate to in fighting cancer. Thus, SCCS hopes that through the exhibition, it will at least provide an insight on what cancer patients have to go through.
The exhibition also aims to create awareness of childhood cancer, its signs and symptoms, as well as provide more information about how SCCS supports these children and their families during difficult times.
Entrance to the maze is free, and attendees will be given a temporary tattoo and a voucher from Kidzoona for one hour of free playtime at Kidzoona. Attendees can also find out how they can help and support SCCS through volunteering opportunities, merchandise sales as well as collaborations to raise childhood cancer awareness.
Meanwhile, registration for the society’s annual charity run, Colour Rush 2019 will also be available during this time. The public can opt to sign up for the monthly donation programme, an auto-debit process where members of the public can donate monthly to SCCS, with a minimum of RM30 (RM 1 per day).
The event will be officially launched today at 11am. Invitations for free storytelling sessions have also been sent out to schools around Kuching, with limited slots available. The maze will be closed to public during these sessions, half an hour each, both today and tomorrow at 11am and 3pm respectively.
To find out more about this event or how you can help, visit SCCS’ website at sccs.org.my, Facebook page at
facebook.com/sccsmy, or contact the office at 082-686276.
