Date: 3 March 2019

• Singapore’s only 15-hours overnight relay raises over $1 million 
• New record set in Singapore Book of Records for the Longest Distance (14,849.2km) Covered By A Group Of Runners In 6 Hours

Singapore, 3 March 2019 – The 3^rd edition of the Singapore Cancer Society-TalkMed Relay For Life (RFL) 2019 came to a rousing finish this morning at the National Stadium, as over 7,000 participants celebrated the triumph of accomplishing the 15-hour relay.

Singapore is the 25th country to organise RFL and be part of this global movement. This event brings the community together to Celebrate the lives of cancer survivors, Remember those lost to the disease and Fight Back against a disease that has taken so much.

In addition, a total of 208 teams took part in the 100km challenge. This number of teams almost doubled as compared to last year. This signifies solidarity in the ongoing fight against cancer and a strong testament to the SCS message that no one needs to walk this journey alone.

Spirits remained high from dusk to dawn as participants walked and ran alongside those impacted by cancer, in the spirit of raising awareness, providing encouragement to those impacted by the disease and raising funds. 

“The fight against cancer is a long and arduous battle. The overnight concept shows that cancer never sleeps and that the fight against cancer never stops. We hope that through such initiatives, we deepen our engagements with the community and empower them to step up and take tangible actions to prevent and fight against cancer. The success of this event shows that the community is willing to contribute in ways that bring hope and encouragement to those impacted by cancer,” said Mr Albert Ching, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Cancer Society.

Over $1 million was raised and will go towards the programmes and services run by SCS to serve the cancer community.

The opening segment Celebrate, had all the cancer survivors at the event taking the first lap around the track – celebrating their victory over cancer while cheered on by the other participants who lined the track. The second round around the track was joined by Guest-of-Honour President Halimah Yacob, who also penned her encouragement message on a ribbon and pinned it on the HOPE sign.

The Remember segment had the stadium illuminated with Luminaria bags as tribute to people who had lost their lives to cancer, honour people who had fought cancer in the past, and support those whose fight continues.

The last segment that took place this morning was the Fight Back segment. The Guest-of-Honour for this segment was Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community & Youth. The emotionally powerful ceremony inspired participants to take action and be committed in the fight against cancer.

Talkmed Group – the title sponsor for the SCS Relay for Life participated throughout the whole event. Dr Ang Peng Tiam, Executive Director and CEO, TalkMed Group Ltd shared, “Talkmed supports Relay for Life because it is an important way for us to show our support for cancer patients – through the power of community. A relay is a good metaphor for a patient’s journey. It is also our philosophy at Talkmed. We pull together different specialists and medical personnel, we work together with patients and their family. We finish the race, together.”

SCS also managed to make a new record for the Singapore Book of Records for the ‘Longest Distance Covered By A Group Of Runners In 6 Hours’. A total of 14,849.2km was covered.

While SCS does the utmost to reduce cancer incidence through various upstream cancer prevention programmes and public education awareness & outreach activities, community involvement is crucial in supporting the cancer community.

MediaCorp stars, Pan Ling Ling, Kym Ng, He Ying Ying and Aileen Tan, made a special appearance during the event. Celebrities and Influencers like Bridget Fernandez (Channel 5 Actress who lost her brother to cancer), Gayathri Segaran (Acting as a brain cancer patient in Channel 5’s drama ‘Kin’) and Vicneswary Se (Vasantham Actress) showed their support to the cancer community by taking part in this event.

RFL is a global movement founded in May 1985 by American Cancer Society. Close to 4 million participants take part in RFL across the globe annually, making it one of the world’s largest fundraiser. It is also an excellent platform for cancer survivors, caregivers and volunteers to be recognised, supported and connected via a strong support system.

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About Singapore Cancer Society (www.singaporecancersociety.org.sg) Established in 1964, Singapore Cancer Society is a self-funded voluntary welfare organisation which provides patient care services to needy cancer patients through its welfare, hospice home care, cancer treatment subsidy and rehabilitation support programmes. In addition, the Society also provides free cancer screening services and promotes cancer awareness and prevention through its public education and community outreach programmes.

For more information, please contact:
Kumudha Panneerchelvam (Ms)
Corporate Affairs Senior Executive
DID: 6436 5237
Mobile: 9819 6589
Email: kumudha_P@singaporecancersociety.org.sg

Celia Au (Ms)
Corporate Affairs Manager
DID: 6421 5801
Mobile: 9668 9465
Email: celia_au@singaporecancersociety.org.sg