Chronic Pain Patient Support Family Day PPUKM, 2014

Life is not easy, and this is especially true for people suffering chronic pain. The members of the Malaysian Association for the Study of Pain (MASP) have always strive to do the best they can to alleviate patients' suffering because they acknowledge how chronic pain can debilitate individuals' quality of life. They have made it their responsibility to fight alongside individuals with chronic pain on their life journeys, and the Chronic Pain Patient Support Group Family Day is one of the many initiatives that they have taken to show that. This annual event is a reminder to the individuals with chronic pain that life can still be fun despite being challenging!

On a fine Sunday, the 22nd of June 2014, patients from Universiti Kebangsaan Medical Center (UKMMC), Hospital Selayang, and Hospital Ipoh gathered at UKMMC to celebrate the 4th Chronic Pain Patient Support Group Family Day. The event was attended by over a hundred participants comprising patients and healthcare staff and their families. It started with opening speeches delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norsidah Abdul Manap (Head of the Anesthesiology Department), Dr. Mary Suma Cardosa (President of the MASP), and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Choy Yin Choy (Treasurer of the MASP). Following that, a series of fun and surprises arranged by the organizing committee led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Choy Yin Choy, such as aerobic dances, games, karaoke singing, and lucky draws delighted the audiences. There was even a clown to entertain the children. Food and drinks were made available at all times to ensure that participants were well fed. On top of the door gifts that are given out upon arrival, the organizing committee also found every opportunity to give out prizes and rewards to make sure that no one left with empty hands at the end of the day.

Reported by Mr Shawn Lee Ji Kuan