Sheam Kannan’s most vivid memories of childhood, unlike
most boys, isn’t playingsportsor running in theplaygroundwith
his friends.
Instead, the childhood cancer survivor, who was diagnosed at
just three years old, was short and overweight. These were
some of the side-effects from the cancer treatment he received
for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Although he loved sports
suchas soccer andbadminton, he struggled to keepupwith the
physical demands of the activities and often felt dejected.
It was only at CCF’s children’s camps that Sheam got to
participate in rock climbing and adventurous races, all at a
manageable pace he could keep upwith.
The friendships he forged there, with other patients and
survivors, made him happier and more confident. This sense
of community motivated Sheam so much. At the age of 13, he
rounded up a group of cancer survivors, who called themselves
theYouthCommittee, to perform a dance at that year’s Hair for
Hopeevent.
Their friendship has endured over the past decade, and many
of the Youth Committee members now attend CCF events as
volunteers. Sheam himself has been shaving his head every
year since 2005, in support of Hair for Hope.
The Electrical Engineering undergraduate at the National
University of Singapore, whowas the valedictorian of his cohort
when he graduated from Singapore Polytechnic, has set his
sights on a career in patient administration. He wants to work
in hospitals, to help improve patients’ experience – just asCCF
had done for him.
“My parents were lucky to have a great support system in
their siblings, friends and CCF,” the 24-year-old said. “I want
to continue to make time for volunteering, even after I enter
theworkforce.”
“I want to continue
tomake time for
volunteering”:
Childhood cancer
survivor
SheamKannan
2
