Art Enthusiast Fought Cancer, Survived, and Helps Others Find Healing Through Art

Speaking about one’s cancer journey is an undeniably difficult thing to do; some become emotional, others evasive, and some even try to make light of their own situations to lighten the mood. 

The emotional rollercoaster is something 57-year-old Ow Yeong Yin Leng is intimately familiar with, having survived Stage 2 breast cancer herself. 

The mood sobers significantly as she cycles through the emotions recounting how she had to undergo treatment at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak.  

“It was scary because you already feel uncomfortable doing chemo, and now because of COVID it’s also frightening to go the hospital,” she recounts. 

Holding Space for Those in Need 

Yin Leng’s personal experience is why during her acrylic painting and decoupage classes at Singapore Cancer Society (SCS), she is mindful not to pry or offer unsolicited advice.  

Instead, she quietly holds space for her participants—only stepping in to offer assistance and an encouraging word if needed—so they may express themselves and find healing through art. 

“When you concentrate on the painting, you forget about your pain. And when you finish, you have a sense of achievement,” she explains. 

“Seeing their smiling faces makes me want to teach them” 

It has been around eight years since Yin Leng started volunteering at SCS, with only a two-year pause while she was recovering from her illness. 

Her face brightens as she speaks of moments of connection, such as when a student thinks of her while shopping and offers to help her pick up art supplies.  

Her joy is also palpable when she describes the months of hard work she and her students put in to paint a mural at the Survivorship Centre, a stunning underwater seascape with turtles, dolphins, and other vibrant marine life. 

What keeps her going as a volunteer—running three classes a month—is seeing her students improve and find joy in their art. 

Especially meaningful for her is when her students accomplish what they thought they could not, she says, citing an example of how she rallied them to create paintings of different country landscapes for an SCS event. 

Her students were daunted and told her it was impossible. “But in the end, they managed to do it and their finished product is amazing,” Yin Leng excitedly exclaims.  

“I was so proud of them,” she declares, eagerly displaying their masterpieces: of Paris’ Eiffel Tower, Japan’s Mount Fuji and more. 

Reflections on the Cancer Journey 

When asked about how she would encourage those suffering from cancer, Yin Leng pauses before pensively replying: “I think it’s important to stay positive.” 

Reflecting on her own struggles and how there was more than once that she was tempted to pull the plug on her chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, she urges others to stay the course. 

“It’s a difficult journey to get through, but you have to go through it,” she resolutely states. “Once you finish, it will be better.”