Breast Cancer Survivor Pauline Leow Opens Up About How Her Shock Diagnosis Led Her to Art

However, a strange thing happened. She didn’t die. In fact, weeks went by and nothing changed. 

“Well, then I thought to myself, oh no. I just quit all my jobs, got rid of everything. Now what?” she said with a laugh. 

Yet, it turned out that the one thing Leow didn’t let go of was what helped her to find the will to live again. 

“I had very little in terms of money so I had no choice. Even though I was so weak from the chemotherapy, I would put on a mask and go to school religiously to teach my kids,” she said. 

“I love interacting with young people because they are so excited about life and the future and during that period of time especially, it helped me remember why I needed to regain my fire for life,” Leow continued before adding that her students used to send her encouraging notes and motivate her during the hardest days of her treatments. 

During Leow’s ordeal with cancer, one thing she noticed was the complete loss of control that she was very suddenly thrust into. She had to do exactly what the doctors told her to do, eat what they told her to eat and found that she no longer had any agency in a life where she used to hold the most agency. 

“One thing I did for myself was to shave my hair off. I knew chemotherapy would take my hair from me and I didn’t want that. I wanted to do this on my own terms so I did it,” she said. 

Another thing that helped Leow regain control over her own life was restarting the painting classes that she had quit when she got her cancer diagnosis. 

“Art for me was a place where I could unwind. I didn’t take it seriously and when you’re painting, you’re the one in control. No one else is,” Leow said.

After about two years of chemotherapy and a lumpectomy surgery, Leow finally won the battle and was blissfully declared cancer-free. 

However, that wasn’t the end of the journey for her at all. “I survived because I found out early and because at some point, I heard someone recommend self-breast exams and it was probably at the back of my mind. I know that it was my duty to speak up about cancer and to dispel this idea that only certain people can get it," she said confidently. 

Don’t miss: Mental Health Day 2021: How to Support Wellbeing at the Top

Leow began to open up her experiences to her friends, on Facebook and more. 

However, this month, she got the opportunity to use her art to make a bigger statement in the fight against breast cancer when she was asked by the doctors at KTPH to contribute her paintings to help raise funds for breast cancer patients. 

In fact, this month is Breast Cancer Awareness month and in support of the occasion, KTPH has collaborated with the Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF) to organise an art exhibition titled “Celebrating Life, Together”.

The project was helmed by Doctor Marc Ong who is the organising chairperson of the exhibit as well as a consultant breast surgeon at the hospital's department of general surgery. 

Doctor Ong has been interested in art since he was a child and dabbled in many different forms of it over the years.

In fact, he always harboured a secret dream of one day having his own small exhibit which is what inspired the idea of having breast cancer patients and survivors contribute their art to a gallery and to allow them to be sold. 

Don’t miss: World Mental Health Day 2021: 6 Instagram Accounts to Follow for Self-Healing

“We wanted to raise awareness about breast cancer as well as fundraise for needy patients. Unfortunately, because of Covid-19, we could not hold the exhibit at KTPH itself. Thankfully, Fullerton Hotel stepped in and provided us with a venue,” Dr Ong said. 

In fact, Dr Ong himself collaborated with Dr Joelle Leung from KTPH to contribute the centrepiece which is a quilling artwork that consists of close to 3,000 strips of thin papers quilled meticulously in a myriad of shapes and colours. 

The entire project took over five months and was a labour of love that happened after long days of work as well as during any pocket of free time that the doctors had. 

Another iconic piece that visitors to the gallery will see is an oil painting of a lotus flower that was contributed by Leow herself who painted the image while she was in the throes of her battle again cancer in 2019. 

“A lotus grows under mud yet they grow till they are above the mud and even then, they need the mud to continue to thrive. My painting features a closed lotus flower because it symbolises untapped potential. In life, I no longer want to die. I want to live and do things and this is what this painting symbolises for me,” Leow shared. 

Don’t miss: 9 to 5: Eye Surgeon Dr Claudine Pang on Her Mission to Bring Eye Care to the Disadvantaged

The exhibit will be running at the East Garden Gallery at the Fullerton Hotel till October 30. 

However, if you are unable to make it down, you can visit its virtual art gallery here. You can also make a donation towards the cause here. 

All donations will go towards BCF. 

NOW READ

We Wear Pink: Breast Cancer Foundation President Staphnie Tang on Raising Awareness Through New Initiatives

Estée Lauder: How You Can Play A Part In The Fight Against Breast Cancer

Why Ode To Art Makes Singaporean Artists And Asian Art A Key Focus For The Gallery