April 2013
Rotary Club of Raffles City
Submission to
Rotary District 3310
A Long-term
Community Service Project
Rotarians from six Rotary clubs in Singapore came
together to set-up yet another Rotary initiated project. This
one is to support patients diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease
or Ulcerative Colitis.
Management Committee – Founding Members
Rtn Nidhi Swarup, PDG Dr Wu Dar Ching,
Rtn Uttam Kripalani, PP Vincent Chen, PP Kaka Singh,
President Low Cze Hong, CP Low Siew Joon,
PP Henry Lim, PP Alex Eow & PP Narasimhan Mohan
PLACE PHOTO HERE,
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Patients & family members with two Invited speakers: Dr David
Ong from NUH & Dr Ajmal Kader from KKH. Also present were
six Management Committee members in Nov 2012
RC Raffles City
President Dr. Low
Cze Hong & Ann
Elizabeth,
Rotarians Nidhi,
Uttam & PP
Henry at the
Charity Film
Show
Most people would not be familiar with these illnesses just
like the Founder & President of Crohn’s & Colitis Society of
Singapore, Rtn Nidhi Swarup until she was diagnosed with
Crohn’s Disease in June 2011. By the time she could
understand the illness and the broader categorization,
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), she was also
diagnosed as suffering from fibromyalgia, another chronic
autoimmune condition. The two made it very challenging for
her to continue working but didn’t deter her from pursuing
her strong desire to help others. The Crohn’s & Colitis
Society of Singapore was registered on 18 May 2012.
While non-sufferers can easily Google and briefly
understand IBD but living with such a debilitating chronic
illness with no cure is a real challenge for patients, their
family & friends. There was no organization in Singapore,
established purely to focus on the needs of patients with
Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis. More than 20
countries in the world have an Association, Society or
Foundation providing the much needed Patient Support.
Rotary has once again mobilized its resources to fill a
Community Service gap.
Ten Rotarians, Six Clubs
Rotarian Nidhi Swarup considers herself fortunate to be
part of Rotary since it was effortless to activate ten
Management Committee members needed to register a
Society. Members from Rotary clubs of Raffles City,
Garden City, Singapore, Bugis Junction, Bukit Timah and
Serangoon Gardens Orchard consented to be the Founding
Members.
PDG Dr Wu Dar Ching, CP Low Siew Joon, Pres. Dr Low
Cze Hong, Rtn Uttam Kripalani, PP Vincent Chen, PP Alex
Eow, PP Kaka Singh, PP Henry Lim & PP Narasimhan
Mohan are actively involved in getting the Society off to a
fantastic start!
www.ibd.org.sg
e-mail: [email protected]
Rotarians from various clubs supported RC Raffles City in a
Charity Film show, Les Miserables on 28 Dec 2012 where
about $30k was raised for Crohn’s & Colitis Society of
Singapore.
Crohn’s & Colitis Society of Singapore
COMMITMENT
Gastroenterologists estimate that there are about
1,400 IBD patients in Singapore with about 100
children. When compared to many other illnesses,
these numbers are small but for every family affected,
there are many issues – Medical, Emotional, Social
& Financial.
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Dealing with symptoms, tests, hospitalizations,
consultations and treatment are not the only
challenges; what most people tend to ignore is the
Emotional Impact of living with a debilitating chronic
illness. Patient Support Groups provide a platform
for patients to share some anxieties, learn to cope and
have another person who really understands.
Parents of children with IBD face another set of
anxieties. Firstly, the shock of diagnosis of a condition
whose cause is not clearly known hence its prevention
is impossible. What can a parent do or not do to
protect his other children from contracting the same
lifelong illness? How does such an illness impact the
child’s academic path and sports, career, social &
emotional life? Secondly, when a flare will occur is
unpredictable despite remission being manageable
with medication. Lastly, the severity of neither a flare
nor its duration can be predicted along with the high
risk of cancer hovering over IBD patients.
A lot of commitment and hard work is needed to create
a seamless patient support system. Rtn Nidhi
Swarup and her Management Committee members
believe it possible by bringing together experts from all
aspects of life: Medical, Psychological & Social
Services.
Expert speakers are invited to address patients, their
family & friends during the monthly Patient Support
Group meetings. Moreover, Gastroenterologists have
been very supportive of the society by volunteering
their time to address Rotarians during meetings:
OUR VISION
To support persons with Crohn's Disease,
Ulcerative Colitis and related health
conditions
OUR MISSION
To create a seamless patient support system
that improves the quality of life of patients of
Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and related
health conditions with a focus on four key
areas:
1.
Patient Support Groups
2.
Public Education & Awareness
3.
Advocacy
4.
Promoting Research
Talks @ Rotary club meetings
April 2012 Dr Michelle Gowans - RC Raffles City
Sept 2012 Dr Michelle Gowans - RC of Singapore
Jan 2013
Dr Ling Khoon Lin - RC Jurong Town
“MORE IBD PATIENTS ARE BEING
DIAGNOSED IN THE PAST 2-3 YEARS.
THE AGE AT DIAGNOSIS IS ALSO
GETTING YOUNGER!”
- RC Bugis Junction
PEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGIST, KKH
Mar 2013
Dr Ling Khoon Lin - RC Marina City
Crohn’s & Colitis Society of Singapore
LOGO DESIGNED
Jonathan Yong, a freelance designer and one of our
patients’ friends, volunteered to design an elegant logo
for the Crohn’s & Colitis Society of Singapore.
SIGNIFICANCE OF LOGO
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The two Cs stand for Crohn’s & Colitis while the
negative spaces signify the Ss in Society of Singapore.
The graphic representation of the two Cs also stands
for the intestines which are affected by the illnesses
Crohn’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis.
WEBSITE DEVELOPED
THE COLOURS
The orange colour in the logo symbolizes vitality with
endurance. Despite being afflicted by Crohn’s or
Colitis, people have the power or ability to live and the
Help has been coming from all sides! A parent of child
with Crohn’s disease offered to design, develop and
maintain a website for the Crohn’s & Colitis Society of
Singapore.
resilient strength of body and mind to endure
hardships. Moreover, curiosity is a driving
characteristic of orange, and with it comes exploration
of new things.
Upon diagnosis of a chronic illness like Crohn’s or
Colitis, the person needs to pause, re-assess and learn
how to live the rest of his life from that time onwards.
The white spaces in the logo symbolize a
fresh
beginning!
With Rtn Nidhi Swarup providing the content, Mr. YLN
Rao not only registered the domain name & designed the
website, he will also train other volunteers to play a part in
uploading photos, patient support group meeting flyers,
being moderators on the Members’ Forum page etc.
1st Anniversary
Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Seminar
18 May 2013
GOH – DG Lee Kong Hwee
A Psychologist, Gastroenterologists & Pediatric
Gastroenterologist with Specialist training in IBD will
speak on different aspects of the illnesses. Adult Patients
& parents of children with IBD will also share how IBD
changed their life.
LAUNCH: Children’s Assistance Fund
With kind contribution from Crocodile Foundation
“ASIAN STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO
Dr Ling Khoon Lin @ RCBJ meeting in Jan 2013 creating
awareness about Crohn’s disease & Ulcerative Colitis
ESTABLISH ANY LINK BETWEEN OUR
DIET AND IBD.”
Senior Dietician, NUH