Jia Le’s mother Carine Lay, 51, expressed her appreciation for the Duke-NUS students’ effort. “They have really done a great job.  Actually, we participated a lot, every event and my kids also love it.”

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in children in Singapore and about 150 children are newly diagnosed each year. 

As a student-volunteer, Ms Zerina Rahic, 24, the children she befriended reminded her that “they have very different lives from what we usually see and that every young, capable individual can engage with them, that it’s not something that we should look away from”. 

More importantly, the first-year Duke-NUS medical student, who is from Bosnia and Herzegovina and arrived in Singapore six months ago, wanted the Duke-NUS community and the wider public to know that “it’s really important to raise awareness” and not separate children battling cancer from others of their age. “It shouldn’t be two separate communities, they should play together, they should learn from each other. So, that is very important.”

Children who have been diagnosed with cancer have to attend clinics for long term follow-up examinations, even when their condition goes into remission to check for potential late effects.
 

“I think, it’s our responsibility as students to not just understand how to diagnose and treat diseases but it’s our collective responsibility to be able to meet the patients where they are in their journey. To walk, not in front or behind them, but to walk by their side,” Mr Ng shared.

The forthcoming main PBSTA event on 11 May 2025 promises to continue this 11-year-long tradition of support and awareness, demonstrating Duke-NUS’ commitment to walking alongside these young patients every step of their journey, not just as future healthcare professionals, but as compassionate partners in their fight against cancer.