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I am Yi Ling, a Patient Care Leader from the Department of Psychosocial Service. I’ve been working at 365 Cancer Prevention Society (365CPS) for 2 years plus. This was my first job straight out of college at the University College of Dublin. Despite always imagining myself to end up at a job in the corporate world, I ultimately followed my inner calling to help people in need. Combining it with my love for interacting with the elderly, I found the perfect job at 365CPS.

My role at 365CPS involves managing of cases, talking and interacting with members, providing companionship in their tough journey. More often than not, the members and I build up a bond so strong that they feel like family. Each and every person I’ve had the honour of interacting with have left such a profound impression on me. I have always found it such a blessing to be able to cross paths with these members and connect with them in their lives.

As the saying goes, “No Man is an Island”. That is particularly true in the community here at 365CPS. A sense of belonging, mutual trust and openness is essential in this cancer fighting journey. With this as our base, we are then able to advise the right professional 365CPS resources to meet the members’ varying needs.

One recurring challenge that I face daily is the task of recognising the nuances of every member’s emotions. Throughout their cancer journey, it is natural for their emotional needs to vary. With these changes, I’ve adapted and became more sensitive, empathetic and intuitive. This change has shown to be extremely critical in my job when managing members’ emotions, and they are now able to trust me more, confide in me whenever they need to, treating me like their confidante.

Working at 365CPS has also shown me how important a healthy diet and regular exercise is for each and every one of us. The fast pace environment our society exists in can be a lot more damaging to our wellbeing than one realises – we should never underestimate the significance of work-life balance. As such, I implore you, who is reading this, to maintain a healthy lifestyle. To start, you can attend our health talks and detox exercises organised by 365CPS. Also, to those out there fighting cancer, let’s walk in this journey together. Speak to our care leaders and allow them to journey with you. You can do it!