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$500,000 RAISED IN 3 WEEKS
We're strangers, yet people want to help daughter
The New Paper 13 Jun report on cancer-hit girl tugs at heart strings & loosens S'poreans' purse strings
By Shree Ann Mathavan
July 14, 2009
HOPEFUL: Charmaine with her mum in their living room. On the table is a copy of The New Paper page one report which sparked off some donations. TNP PICTURES: FRANCIS LEE
EVEN in hard times, one little girl's struggle to live has galvanised compassionate Singaporeans into raising half-a-million dollars in just three weeks.
Since 4-year-old Charmaine Lim's heartbreaking plight was reported in The New Paper last month, donations have poured in.
In February, the cherubic little girl had been diagnosed with stage-four neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that strikes the adrenal glands of infants and children.
Such cancer cells usually spread to other parts of the body through the blood and the lymphatic system.
Seemed impossible
Her mother was told that Charmaine's chances of survival can go up from 20 per cent to as much as 50 per cent with a potentially life-saving but costly treatment available only in New York.
Since then, strangers from all walks of life have stepped forward to help.
The $500,000 they donated is a godsend for Charmaine's divorcee mum, Ms Cynthia Lim, 29. She had to quit her project management job at a water treatment company after her daughter became ill.
LONGING: Charmaine looking at footage of her nursery school concert last year where she danced.
She said: 'The amount seemed like an impossibility at the time. We are strangers, yet everyone was willing to do whatever they can to help me save my little girl.
'They have given me a chance to keep this family, for Charmaine to go on, to grow up. I'm very grateful and touched.'
Charmaine's plight prompted former football stars like Fandi Ahmad, Rafi Ali, Abbas Saad and V Sundramoorthy to play a charity match on 28 Jun. They raised about $70,000 for her.
When informed that the target amount had been reached, Sundramoorthy was delighted.
Speaking to The New Paper, he said: 'I'm really glad to hear that the target has been met, and hope that she will have a speedy recovery with the treatment.
'This incident just shows how big-hearted Singaporeans are. I'm glad to have played a part in helping the family.'
Netizens have also done their part, donating via online forums like fuckwarezone, Singapore Motherhood and Lancer Motoring Club.com.
Hardware Zone alone raised about $42,000.
Individual donors and netizens who donated via the various forums accounted for at least 70 per cent of the total amount, said Ms Lim.
Another 30 per cent came from various corporations. She declined to reveal the names of the companies.
Readers reach out
Of the individual donors, Ms Lim reckons about $100,000 came from readers of The New Paper.
One of them, who wished to be known only as Mr Toh, a businessman in the manufacturing sector, donated $5,000.
He said: 'To raise half a million in three weeks, that's really good news.
'In my opinion people really wanted to help Charmaine because she is so young. They want to see her get well and recover.'
But while the target has been reached, Charmaine's young life still hangs precariously in the balance.
On 18 Jun, she had surgery to remove a tumour and 10 per cent of her liver, which had been invaded by the cancer.
But her bone marrow showed traces of cancer cells even after completing five rounds of chemotherapy at the National University Hospital (NUH).
This means that when she receives treatment at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York either late this month or early next month, she will have to undergo chemotherapy along with intravenous doses of the drug 3F8, which is made up of antibodies produced by the white blood cells of mice.
Fighting 'the monster', as Charmaine dubs the cancer, has taken its toll.
The little girl weighed 15.5kg before the operation. Now she has lost 2kg because of the chemotherapy's after-effects, like nausea and loss of appetite.
She is also more prone to mood swings, said her mum.
But Charmaine was mostly cheerful during The New Paper's visit yesterday.
Keen to show off her dance moves, she played the video of her performance at her nursery school concert last year and executed the moves perfectly.
Sighed Ms Lim: 'More than anything else, she wants to go back to school and be with her friends.
'Getting treatment for her overseas means so much to me, especially since her bone marrow is not clear after the treatment here.'
Ms Lim is now preparing both Charmaine and her 5-year-old son, Jase, for the trip to New York. They are likely to remain there for about six months while Charmaine gets treatment.
The family will also have to sort out their accommodation. It is understood a social worker from the centre will help them settle into subsidised housing, once the money is paid.
Singaporeans like Mr Friz A B, director of F-Entertainment, an events management company, are still keen to help the family, though the $500,000 target has been reached.
He's helping to organise a 'Saving Charmaine-Live Your Life 2009' concert at Zouk on 25 and 26 Jul, featuring several local singers and dance performances.
Mr Friz explained: 'We don't peg compassion to a certain monetary value. The family still needs our help, so we'll try our best to raise funds for them.'
He hopes to raise $50,000 to help Charmaine's mum with additional medical and living expenses during the treatment in New York.
Tickets for the concert will be available at www.tdc.sg.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HELP FOR OTHER SAD CASES
MAN WITH $16 LEFT
When Mr Tan Jee Suan, 46, died after being hit by an MRT train at Chinese Garden Station in October 2006, he had only $16 in his wallet.
He was believed to have taken his life because he was facing financial problems.
The public responded swiftly and $500,000 was raised to help his wife, Madam Lim Sian Hua, and her two teenage sons.
HUANG NA
The murder of 8-year-old Huang Na in 2004 also saw many Singaporeans donating generously.
The amount raised, according to her mother, Madam Huang Shuying, a Chinese national, was $126,203.
But earlier this year, there was some criticism from the public when Madam Huang admitted that part of the money was spent on a luxurious four-storey house in Putian, Xiamen.
$500,000 RAISED IN 3 WEEKS
We're strangers, yet people want to help daughter
The New Paper 13 Jun report on cancer-hit girl tugs at heart strings & loosens S'poreans' purse strings
By Shree Ann Mathavan
July 14, 2009
HOPEFUL: Charmaine with her mum in their living room. On the table is a copy of The New Paper page one report which sparked off some donations. TNP PICTURES: FRANCIS LEE
EVEN in hard times, one little girl's struggle to live has galvanised compassionate Singaporeans into raising half-a-million dollars in just three weeks.
Since 4-year-old Charmaine Lim's heartbreaking plight was reported in The New Paper last month, donations have poured in.
In February, the cherubic little girl had been diagnosed with stage-four neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that strikes the adrenal glands of infants and children.
Such cancer cells usually spread to other parts of the body through the blood and the lymphatic system.
Seemed impossible
Her mother was told that Charmaine's chances of survival can go up from 20 per cent to as much as 50 per cent with a potentially life-saving but costly treatment available only in New York.
Since then, strangers from all walks of life have stepped forward to help.
The $500,000 they donated is a godsend for Charmaine's divorcee mum, Ms Cynthia Lim, 29. She had to quit her project management job at a water treatment company after her daughter became ill.
LONGING: Charmaine looking at footage of her nursery school concert last year where she danced.
She said: 'The amount seemed like an impossibility at the time. We are strangers, yet everyone was willing to do whatever they can to help me save my little girl.
'They have given me a chance to keep this family, for Charmaine to go on, to grow up. I'm very grateful and touched.'
Charmaine's plight prompted former football stars like Fandi Ahmad, Rafi Ali, Abbas Saad and V Sundramoorthy to play a charity match on 28 Jun. They raised about $70,000 for her.
When informed that the target amount had been reached, Sundramoorthy was delighted.
Speaking to The New Paper, he said: 'I'm really glad to hear that the target has been met, and hope that she will have a speedy recovery with the treatment.
'This incident just shows how big-hearted Singaporeans are. I'm glad to have played a part in helping the family.'
Netizens have also done their part, donating via online forums like fuckwarezone, Singapore Motherhood and Lancer Motoring Club.com.
Hardware Zone alone raised about $42,000.
Individual donors and netizens who donated via the various forums accounted for at least 70 per cent of the total amount, said Ms Lim.
Another 30 per cent came from various corporations. She declined to reveal the names of the companies.
Readers reach out
Of the individual donors, Ms Lim reckons about $100,000 came from readers of The New Paper.
One of them, who wished to be known only as Mr Toh, a businessman in the manufacturing sector, donated $5,000.
He said: 'To raise half a million in three weeks, that's really good news.
'In my opinion people really wanted to help Charmaine because she is so young. They want to see her get well and recover.'
But while the target has been reached, Charmaine's young life still hangs precariously in the balance.
On 18 Jun, she had surgery to remove a tumour and 10 per cent of her liver, which had been invaded by the cancer.
But her bone marrow showed traces of cancer cells even after completing five rounds of chemotherapy at the National University Hospital (NUH).
This means that when she receives treatment at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York either late this month or early next month, she will have to undergo chemotherapy along with intravenous doses of the drug 3F8, which is made up of antibodies produced by the white blood cells of mice.
Fighting 'the monster', as Charmaine dubs the cancer, has taken its toll.
The little girl weighed 15.5kg before the operation. Now she has lost 2kg because of the chemotherapy's after-effects, like nausea and loss of appetite.
She is also more prone to mood swings, said her mum.
But Charmaine was mostly cheerful during The New Paper's visit yesterday.
Keen to show off her dance moves, she played the video of her performance at her nursery school concert last year and executed the moves perfectly.
Sighed Ms Lim: 'More than anything else, she wants to go back to school and be with her friends.
'Getting treatment for her overseas means so much to me, especially since her bone marrow is not clear after the treatment here.'
Ms Lim is now preparing both Charmaine and her 5-year-old son, Jase, for the trip to New York. They are likely to remain there for about six months while Charmaine gets treatment.
The family will also have to sort out their accommodation. It is understood a social worker from the centre will help them settle into subsidised housing, once the money is paid.
Singaporeans like Mr Friz A B, director of F-Entertainment, an events management company, are still keen to help the family, though the $500,000 target has been reached.
He's helping to organise a 'Saving Charmaine-Live Your Life 2009' concert at Zouk on 25 and 26 Jul, featuring several local singers and dance performances.
Mr Friz explained: 'We don't peg compassion to a certain monetary value. The family still needs our help, so we'll try our best to raise funds for them.'
He hopes to raise $50,000 to help Charmaine's mum with additional medical and living expenses during the treatment in New York.
Tickets for the concert will be available at www.tdc.sg.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HELP FOR OTHER SAD CASES
MAN WITH $16 LEFT
When Mr Tan Jee Suan, 46, died after being hit by an MRT train at Chinese Garden Station in October 2006, he had only $16 in his wallet.
He was believed to have taken his life because he was facing financial problems.
The public responded swiftly and $500,000 was raised to help his wife, Madam Lim Sian Hua, and her two teenage sons.
HUANG NA
The murder of 8-year-old Huang Na in 2004 also saw many Singaporeans donating generously.
The amount raised, according to her mother, Madam Huang Shuying, a Chinese national, was $126,203.
But earlier this year, there was some criticism from the public when Madam Huang admitted that part of the money was spent on a luxurious four-storey house in Putian, Xiamen.
