Cancer survivor, 65, gets award from President Tharman for supporting other patients

SINGAPORE - In 2011, Mr Ellil Mathiyan Lakshmanan was diagnosed with rectal cancer. Shortly after, doctors found that he also had testicular cancer.

Because of the rectal cancer, he had to have part of his bowel removed. A permanent stoma bag was attached to his abdomen to help him remove body waste.

“Of course, I was devastated and very anxious, wondering how I was going to go about life as I knew it, with the permanent stoma and stoma bag,” he said.

He felt that even though he was cared for medically, there was little emotional support for patients like him.

“I relied a lot on the internet to look for people who had gone through the same journey,” said the 65-year-old who is married with no children. 

Together with a group of colorectal cancer survivors, he co-founded the Ostomy Association of Singapore in 2014. He and a small group of key volunteers have over the years reached out to nearly 800 people, offering reassurance, emotional support, advice and practical information. 

At the annual President’s Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards held on Nov 13, he was among 13 individuals and organisations across 10 categories that were lauded for serving the community. 

They were selected from more than 294 nominations. Presented by the president of Singapore, these awards represent the highest honour for giving in the country. 

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was guest of honour at the awards ceremony, which was held at Raffles Singapore hotel and organised by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre.

Aside from his full-time job running a security services company, Mr Lakshmanan, whose cancer is in remission, is actively involved in TalkMed Relay For Life, a global movement that raises funds for and awareness of cancer.

He also serves as the coordinator for the Cancer Can Give movement, which aids cancer survivors in giving back to society.

On top of that, he is a mentor with the SingHealth Patient Advocacy Network.

“The year that I went through without any support, I don’t want others to go through the same thing. There is lots of help around, there are many people who are willing to hold your hand and walk the journey with you.

“So don’t give up, focus on the treatment, get better, and there’s life after cancer,” said Mr Lakshmanan, whose award was in the People of Good (Senior) category.

Being nominated by the Singapore Cancer Society for the award was already an honour for him, Mr Lakshmanan  said.

“To me, that was already showing appreciation for what I’ve contributed over the years. I’ve been volunteering with it since 2012. And to win it is like the icing on the cake. It pushes me to do even more,” he said. 

He hopes more seniors with time on their hands can step up to volunteer. They can look for groups they can volunteer with, like Cancer Can Give, an initiative by Singapore Cancer Society to empower survivors of the disease to give back to society, he advised.

“It doesn’t mean just because you’re a cancer survivor, you cannot contribute. There are so many ways you can contribute,” he added. 

Another awardee – under the People of Good (Student) category – was Pan Xi, a 16-year-old secondary school student who is part of an initiative to provide online classes to immigrant children in Singapore, primarily those from Vietnam and Thailand. 

The initiative was a collaboration with Oasis Learning Centre, which runs a programme that tutors migrant children and youth from needy families who are not enrolled in any local school.

In 2023, along with 10 schoolmates from Nanyang Girls’ High School, Pan Xi conducted English language lessons every two weeks for up to 10 children.

During the June holidays in 2023, she and her friends spent a week with the children. They went to the centre to play games with the pupils and organised activities to bond with them.

They also arranged for the children to visit Nanyang Girls’ High School and taught them how to play Chinese musical instruments. As part of a science activity, they also extracted DNA from a strawberry in the school laboratory.

“We tried to make that experience as unique as possible for them, something that they hadn’t experienced before,” said Pan Xi, whose father runs a lighting company and mother is a public servant. She has two sisters aged 18 and 14.

She credits her parents for being one of her biggest motivations for volunteering. “My parents do their own volunteering, and since I was young, they’ve always encouraged me to do the same.”

She added: “Just a small action can make a difference. My tutees have also started to give back to society.”