01 Mar 2010
He was a heart doctor with a big heart and a ready smile for his patients. Caring and compassionate,the late Dr Bobby Woo never failed to touch the lives of those who knew him.
Diagnosed with leukaemia in November 2007, Dr Woo, a cardiologist with a private practice, underwent a series of treatments and transplants over 22 months to battle the illness.
“Dr Woo had acute myeloid leukaemia that was resistant to chemotherapy before he came to SGH,” said Dr William Hwang, Senior Consultant, Department of Haematology, Singapore General Hospital (SGH), and Dr Woo’s primary treating doctor.
“He had two rounds of chemotherapy with no response before he came here to see what else could be done. We gave him chemotherapy immediately, followed by a haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT),” said Dr Hwang.
Dr Woo had a successful transplant, which allowed him to return to his clinical practice for about half a year and to go for an overseas conference. However, he succumbed to complications related to a relapse of his disease in August 2009. He was 57.
During his illness, Dr Woo never stopped thinking about others. One issue that troubled him was the high cost of medication for treatments.
In leukaemia, white blood cells become abnormal, and divide and grow in an uncontrolled way, filling up the bone marrow and preventing it from making healthy white blood cells. This means the body is less able to fight off infections. Chemotherapy or radiotherapy used to treat the disease may cause side effects such as painful mouth sores.
“When he was a patient, he became concerned about other leukaemia patients’ pain, their comfort and those who couldn’t afford treatment,” said Dr Chua Lay Hoon, Dr Woo’s widow. “We were lucky because we have insurance coverage but what about those who can’t afford it?”
It was her husband’s concern for those less fortunate that prompted Dr Chua to donate $50,000 in condolence donations to SGH for patient welfare, research and education of HSCT. “The amount might not be enough to give comfort to a lot of patients but it’s a start,” said Dr Chua.
Sharing experiences in new book
Part of the donation will be used to produce a collection of stories drawn from the experiences of patients who have undergone HSCT. The book also includes insights and interviews with doctors, caregivers, medical social workers and others involved with HSCT patients.
Initiated by Dr Hwang, the book, Embracing Hope: Stories of Struggle and Hope in Blood Stem Cell Transplants, aims to help patients better understand the transplant process.
“A lot of patients that I spoke to said that they wished they had other patients to tell them how the transplant process went,” said Dr Hwang. “Having this book as a permanent resource is beneficial because it shares with patients both the good and the bad. We hope that these personal reflections of those who’ve undergone HSCT will encourage other patientsto think ‘if they can get through the bad parts, so can I’,” he said.
Agreeing, Dr Chua added: “I think it’s hard for doctors to give all the details of what to expect when patients agree to a transplant. It’s a long journey, and I think this book will certainly come in handy for patients.”
Spending quality time with patients
Dr Chua advises caregivers in situations similar to hers to spend as much time as possible with their patients. She had taken time off from her practice to be with Dr Woo during his illness.
“The most important thing is to spend as much quality time together as possible, as often as possible,” said Dr Chua. “I was fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time with Dr Woo. We ate and watched TV together. We talked, shared magazines, and in particular, we loved watching (British television series) Midsomer Murders on DVD. I practically lived in the hospital room and managed to do my paperwork while he slept.
“Given the number of complications a patient can encounter, you can never know how fast he or she is going to deteriorate, so I think every day is very important,” she said.
Support for the main caregiver is also important. “The support given to me was enormous. Two of Dr Woo’s sisters also helped as caregivers, giving me time for myself, to run errands or to spend with the children,” said Dr Chua.
She also credited her domestic helper who has been with her for 20 years, and clinic staff who have worked with her for over 10 years for giving her “so much support that I didn’t need to worry about the clinic or home”.
Embracing Hope: Stories of Struggle and Hope in Blood Stem Cell Transplants is expected to launch in March, in conjunction with a Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant patient survivors celebration to be held at SGH.
“He was a good man,” said Dr Hwang, “and Embracing Hope is in loving memory of Dr Bobby Woo, a cardiologist who was big of heart and a patient who cared for those around him.”
Click here for jpeg format
« Back to previous
page
back to top