ON May 20th 2017, CanHOPE Kuching had invited Ms. Fahma Sunarja, Senior Dietitian and Manager of Allied Health for CanHOPE Counselling and Support Services at Parkway Cancer Centre, Singapore, to speak about the role that nutrition plays in preventing cancer. With her qualifications including a Bachelor in Science in Nutrition and Dietitics from University of Otago, New Zealand, as well as Australian certification as a sports dietitian, Ms. Sunarja has had six years’ of experience in working as a clinical dietitian at the National University Hospital, Singapore, specialising in paediatrics, metabolic syndromes and nutrition consultations. She is currently practising at the Parkway Cancer Centre, with a focus on cancer nutrition.
Ms. Fahma also developed a recipe book entitled “Asian Flavour of Fitness” revolving around sports nutrition, and had co-written another recipe book entitled “Awakening the Appetite”, which promotes good nutrition for cancer patients as well as their caregivers. Experienced in conducting nutrition workshops and spreading public awareness for a healthy lifestyle in the prevention of cancer, Ms. Sunarja, in the recent talk held at Hilton Kuching, had presented guidelines on nutrition in cancer prevention, and provided helpful tips as to the practice of these guidelines.
Her advice included avoiding a high intake of red and processed meat, and canned foods; and awareness of the presence/amount of sodium nitrate and preservatives in one’s food. Ms. Sunarja described these tips as “evidence-based”, and aimed for the talk to enlighten people on the relationship between nutrition and the prevention of cancer.
The talk was proudly sponsored by the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (OCBC Bank), and a product of collaboration between CanHOPE Kuching and the Parkway Cancer Centre. The Parkway Cancer Centre, based in Singapore, is home to a comprehensive suite of cancer treatments that are delivered by a skilled team of doctors, nurses, counsellors and other (para-)medical professionals, and is dedicated to its mission of offering a comprehensive and integrated premier cancer service with a focus on patient care.
CanHOPE is a non-profit cancer counselling and support service initiated by the Parkway Cancer Centre, and consists of an experienced and compassionate support team dedicated to providing support and care to assist patients and their caregivers in making informed health decisions. Their objectives include the organization of talks and public meetings to educate people on cancer, such as prevention and early detection.
Part of their counselling practice is offering patients and caregivers a listening ear and privacy in their counselling sessions, as well as to remain available to them by conducting counselling sessions on the phone, via email or face-to-face, depending on which choice the patient/caregiver is most comfortable with. For more inquiries, CanHOPE Kuching may be contacted via email at kuching@canhope.org, and by phone at 082-343778.
