Chriscavin, 22

Cancer Survivor

Meet Chris, who is 22 this year. He was diagnosed with high-risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) at the age of 15. 

Before he was diagnosed with ALL, he was a regular Secondary 4 student: dealing with school, tuition, homework, and preparing for O-Levels. That all changed over his Christmas break in 2013.

“Over my Christmas break after my exams, I felt pain in my knees and couldn’t walk. I had to use my grandpa’s walking stick in order to be able to get up and down. My parents at that time were overseas, but advised me to see a blood specialist. The doctor noticed blasts in the cells, so he said it was most likely ALL.” Battling disbelief, he continued to have more tests.

He moved to Singapore from Indonesia in order to receive treatment for ALL, trying at first traditional treatments for cancer—from Bone Marrow Transplants (BMT) in 2014 to a Donor Lymphocyte Infusion (DLI) in 2015. Both have resulted in relapses.

“I have lost years of my youth. I didn’t go to school, didn’t get to make many friends, but I think it’s important to focus on what you can control. Hardships are going to happen all the time and it’s important to be able to focus on good things you can find out of the tough times.”

Renewed hope

Chris came under the care of  VIVA-Goh Foundation Associate Professor Allen Yeoh and the team at the NUH, and in 2018 became Singapore’s very first recipient of CAR T cellular immunotherapy under the VIVA-NUS Children’s Cancer Programme. 

CAR T is a new form of treatment that uses the body’s own immune system to fight cancer, which combine’s a person’s T-cells (a type of white blood cell), with Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) that “trains” them to target cancer cells using specific proteins. This method was developed by Professor Dario Campana, who is currently the Mrs Lee Kong Chian Chair in Advanced Cellular Therapy at the National University Hospital of Singapore (NUH).

“I was very fortunate to have been at the right time and the right place,” he says, as it had been difficult to deal with several relapses over the course of his treatment. Relapsed ALL is more resistant and increases the difficulty of treatment, with a poor prognosis for patients. “CAR-T came at the right time. Two years after I’m doing well and I think it’s thanks to the great effort done by the medical team.”

After a successful CAR-T treatment, and with constant monitoring in case of relapse, Chris recently went back to school—which has been put on hold since his diagnosis in 2013. He graduated with his diploma in Media and Mass Communications in June of this year and is looking forward to giving back to the community while figuring out what he wants to do next.

He highlights how communities are key sources of strength during his treatment. “Coming from overseas, I didn’t really know a lot of people, so friends and family, as well as community organisations [that support children and youth with cancer] like VIVA and CCF—helped me get through this difficult phase.”

For other kids and families going through a similar situation, he advises focusing on what you can control. “I have lost years of my youth. I didn’t go to school, didn’t get to make many friends, but I think it’s important to focus on what you can control. Hardships are going to happen all the time and it’s important to be able to focus on good things you can find out of the tough times.”

Watch the video to find out more about Chris’s story.