Teen diagnosed with cancer gets wish fulfilled

On her 18th birthday yesterday, Jameen Chong had the chance to tour the Singapore Press Holdings' Print Centre to see how newspapers are printed.

It was Make-A-Wish Foundation's (Singapore) present to the teenager, who had wanted to a journalist since she was young.

Accompanied by her family, cancer-stricken Jameen, who was in a wheelchair, was taken through the process, from printing to packing of the newspapers.

To make her wish come true, Jameen's words were also put together in a column published in The New Paper yesterday.

Jameen's mother, Ms Cecilia Ng, 45, told reporters yesterday: "She would be so happy if she knew all this was done for her."

TNP first reported on Jameen's condition yesterday.

The teenager was diagnosed in September 2014 with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

A month later, a blood clot was found in her brain, robbing her of her mobility, motor control and central function overnight.

Doctors later found her to be in a "persistent vegetative state", said Jameen's older sister, Janice, 21.

Jameen was referred to Make-A-Wish by the Children's Cancer Foundation's branch at KK Women's and Children's Hospital last November.

When volunteers from Make-A-Wish visited Jameen and her family, they learnt about her aspiration to be a journalist - one who would visit developing countries, report on war-related issues and get her reports published.

Ms Ng, a mother of three, said of the visit to the Print Centre: "I liked how the papers were transported (before being packed). It looked like a dragon moving."

BIRTHDAY PARTY

The session ended with an intimate birthday party for Jameen, where she "blew out" the candle on her cake with the help of her sister, who fanned a calendar to snuff out the flame.

Commenting on the reporters who were whipping out their notebooks to jot down notes as they interviewed her, Ms Ng said: "I can imagine Jameen doing all this."

Make-A-Wish (Singapore) chief executive officer Judy Lim said they hope to gain the community's support in helping to grant wishes for children battling life-threatening medical conditions.

Their wishes "offer them hope, joy and strength when they need it most".

To refer a child to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, e-mail programmeservices@makeawish.org.sg

fjieying@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 26, 2017.
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