By Kenneth Goh

AS A doctor, she taught her patients how to carry out self-examination to detect early symptoms of breast cancer.

But the irony was that Dr Piloo Chacha was so busy with her patients that she left the examination of her own breasts until it was too late.

When it was diagnosed, her breast cancer was already at stage two.

That was almost 20 years ago.

Last Wednesday, the breast cancer survivor celebrated life by taking part in a 4km treadmill run organised by Great Eastern to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Foundation.

Dr Chacha, 70, said engaging in a healthy lifestyle with events like this and giving herself pep talks had helped her recover.

"I take things easy and do not get stressed out," said Dr Chacha, who finished her run on a treadmill at an open area near Raffles Place MRT station.

"Sometimes, it is good to imagine that you are shooting the cancerous cells with an arrow and think that they are not coming back."

She underwent surgery in 1990 to have her right breast removed.

It was followed by eight months of chemotherapy, during which she endured hair loss and constant lethargy and had to stop working temporarily.

Less than a month after her chemotherapy sessions ended, she became restless staying home and felt the itch to go back to work as a general practitioner in a polyclinic.

"It was also a good way to not brood over my problems and channel my energy to deal with my patient's medical problems," she said.

Her breast cancer has been in remission since 1995.

Despite having beaten the disease, Dr Chacha wants to remain involved in spreading breast cancer awareness.

That's why she is taking part in the Great Eastern Women 10K run, which will be held on Oct 31 at Marina Bay.

This year marks the third year that Great Eastern has chosen the Breast Cancer Foundation as a beneficiary.

Strength and grace

"We admire the great strength and courage shown by the breast cancer survivors," said Miss Tan Seck Geok, head of group corporate communications at Great Eastern.

"The ladies have demonstrated great strength and grace in overcoming the illness and have renewed zest for life."

Dr Chacha plans to go for the 5km fun run with her friends from the Breast Cancer Foundation. She hopes to complete the run in 50 minutes.

She also completed the 10km route of the Standard Chartered Marathon in less than two hours last year - a feat that her husband, orthopedic surgeon Pesi B Chacha, still goes around telling people about.

Besides exercising regularly, she is an active volunteer at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. She counsels breast cancer patients twice a month.

"I give emotional support for them by listening to their worries," she said.

"If they see how breast cancer survivors have moved on in life, they will feel confident."

This article was first published in The New Paper.