She stood with poise in a glamourous outfit before walking confidently down the catwalk at a recent fashion show.
But it wasn’t too long ago that Mrs Parameswary Veerasingam was battling breast cancer, which did not end with her final chemotherapy session.
Instead it lingered in a fog of forgotten words, misplaced appointments and sudden mental fatigue.
“I would suddenly be unable to complete my sentences because I couldn’t remember the right words,” the 49-year-old Ministry of Education educator said.
This post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment, commonly known as chemo brain, affects many cancer patients, leading to difficulties with memory, focus and mental clarity.
To manage this, Mrs Parameswary relied on structured routines and technology. “I set a daily schedule to keep myself organised and used my phone’s calendar and notes to track appointments,” she said.
As a long-time educator, she meticulously recorded key points for her lessons to ensure she stayed on top of her work. Over time, these strategies helped her regain confidence and a sense of normalcy.
“Even now, I still experience chemo brain occasionally, especially during school holidays when my brain is less active, but I’ve learnt to cope through self-care, mental exercises and support from family and friends,” she said.
Her journey to recovery culminated in her participation as one of 20 pink warriors who walked the runway at the Courage Catwalk 2025 fashion show, adorned in vibrant costumes designed by six graduates from Lasalle College of the Arts, each reflecting Singapore’s rich cultural diversity.
Held at Sofitel Singapore City Centre on March 7 in conjunction with International Women’s Day, the event raised about $35,000 for the Breast Cancer Foundation.
Speaking to tabla! on the sidelines of the event, Mrs Parameswary said: “Every day of good health is a small, precious victory.”
Mrs Parameswary said her initial diagnosis in 2016 came as a shock – her routine mammogram revealed Stage 2 breast cancer despite having no family history.
The news was compounded a week later when doctors found a mass in her spine, raising concerns that it could be Stage 4.
As a mother of two young daughters, she feared what the diagnosis would mean for them.
At the time, her daughters were only six and 10 years old. While her younger daughter was too young to fully comprehend the situation, her elder daughter had lost a friend’s mother to breast cancer and was devastated. To help them cope, Mrs Parameswary made them part of her journey.
“I brought them to the salon with me when I cut my hair very short and showed them videos explaining the side effects of chemotherapy, including hair loss and brittle nails,” she said.
Her husband Rajit became her pillar of strength. “He was optimistic about my recovery, researching my diagnosis late into the night and finding the best oncologists for a second opinion,” she said.
Further tests revealed that the spinal mass was not cancerous but a permanent scar, possibly from a childhood injury. However, just as Mrs Parameswary was coming to terms with her own diagnosis, her mother-in-law fell critically ill and died soon after.
“Even on the day that she passed on, my husband took me for my chemotherapy in the morning before leaving for his mother’s funeral that night as she lived overseas,” she said.
Before her 2016 cancer diagnosis, Mrs Parameswary left full-time teaching in 2014 to care for her ailing mother, aunt and cousin.
She balanced caregiving with private tuition until her cancer treatment forced her to pause.
While undergoing eight cycles of chemotherapy, a mastectomy and other treatments, she continued to care for her bedridden mother, who was battling a form of Parkinson’s disease for 13 years.
“Even when my mother could no longer communicate well, I knew she was always worried about me,” she said.
Determined to balance both their battles, Mrs Parameswary scheduled her mother’s medical appointments at least a week after her chemotherapy sessions, giving herself time to recover from the nausea and exhaustion.
Her mother died in February 2021, a loss that reinforced Mrs Parameswary’s commitment to living a meaningful life.
“She taught me to face life’s toughest battles with grace. Whenever I felt weak, I thought of her and reminded myself that I, too, had the strength to overcome,” she said.
Declared cancer-free in 2017, Mrs. Parameswary turned to her lifelong passion, bharatanatyam, for healing, resuming lessons in 2019 after a decade-long break.
Teaching under MOE’s Flexi-Adjunct and later Contract-Adjunct schemes helped her combat chemo brain and regain focus. Despite emotional and physical scars, she emerged resilient.
Grateful for her support system, she hopes to inspire others, saying: “You are stronger than you think. Acknowledging your feelings is key to healing.”
