"What was meant to be a routine check during lunch turned out otherwise.   I was diagnosed with a 9cm cancerous tumour in my breast.  Five days later, I underwent a double mastectomy. This was followed by months of chemotherapy and treatment. It was tough getting used to the changes – putting on weight from the steroids, seeing clumps of hair fall out and feeling a loss in strength.  Still, I believed that whatever I had to go through would pass.

Before my diagnosis, I worked as the Chief Riding Instructor at the Singapore Polo Club.  I had been riding all my life.  While I was apprehensive about getting back on a horse after my surgery, I soon found myself competing again. On hindsight, it was surreal to be riding and coaching the Singapore SEA Games team while undergoing treatment!  My advice to others is to keep as much of a normal routine going. People who stop working and shut down get absorbed by the illness. It becomes difficult to see anything else.

What is most important to me now is being a mother and spending time with my son – having his support is what keeps me strong and balanced."

 

Laura Richardson
Director of Sports Development, Equestrian Federation of Singapore
Clinical trial patient volunteer at National Cancer Centre Singapore

Ms Richardson is one of the winners of the Singapore Health Inspirational Patient and Caregiver Award 2016.

 

Tags: IPCA2016