They may be surgeons by day, but Dr Ang Wei-Wen, Dr Marc Ong and Dr Serene Tang have been huddling after hours to champion a cause that they have made their calling: drumming up awareness about early breast cancer detection.
Called #Squat2Support, the doctors have launched a social media campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness Month that encourages participants to perform 40-second squats while leaning back-to-back with a partner.
“We wanted it to be fun and interactive, and doing a squat back-to-back actually requires a lot of coordination. This campaign highlights that breast cancer itself is not a solo journey – you always need somebody’s support. [Breast cancer] affects not only the patient, but also their family members and loved ones,” says Dr Ang Wei-Wen, an associate consultant at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Breast & Endocrine Surgery department.
While the trio are based in different public hospitals – Dr Ong is a consultant at Khoo Teck Puat and specialises in breast, hernia, and trauma and emergency surgery, and Dr Tang is a consultant in general and breast surgery at Woodlands Health – they felt that a combined National Healthcare Group initiative would serve a bigger impact for the cause.
“Every year, we organise a public forum and we always try to choose a theme for the event. This year, we are hoping to create something that we could do together as a national healthcare group. Marc, Serene and I thought, well, we are young and fairly creative, so let’s plan something,” shares Dr Ang.
But why 40 seconds? The significance of the number ties in with Singapore’s national breast cancer screening programme, which advises women to start their mammograms at the age of 40.
“We tried [the squat] a few times, and realised that when you do the activity for 40 seconds, it really is very challenging and your mind is very focused on the number. The whole idea of #Squat2Support is that you always need somebody to have your back. And you can’t do this activity unless both sides apply the same amount of pressure on each other,” he explains.
“It’s also to honour the people who’ve actually gone through breast cancer surgery, and also to recognise those who have supported them through this journey. They not only have to go through the physical aspects of surgery and treatment, but also the mental hurdles involved.”