THE UNSUNG HEROES OF CRMY: FIGHTING FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF MERDEKA
This Merdeka month, we honour the people behind the mission, the quiet forces working every day towards a future where no one has to fear cancer.
On 31 August 1957, Malaysia gained its independence. It was a moment that changed the course of a nation, a declaration that we would determine our own destiny, shape our own future and stand together as one.
Today, nearly seven decades later, another battle is being fought. It is not a battle with borders, weapons or armies. It is an unseen battle, fought in laboratories, offices, hospitals, meetings, events, webinars, phone calls, computer screens and countless moments that the public may never see.
It is the fight against cancer. And at Cancer Research Malaysia (CRMY), there is an army of people fighting that battle every single day. They may not wear uniforms or always stand in the spotlight, but they are the unsung heroes of CRMY. Every person has a role, every role matters, and together they are working towards a future where lives are saved and people can live free from the fear of cancer.
THE GUARDIANS OF THE MISSION
At the heart of CRMY are our Trustees, safeguarding the organisation’s purpose, direction and future. Alongside them, our Management Team carries the weight of making things happen, leading teams, making difficult decisions, managing responsibilities and navigating challenges while supporting the people under their leadership. Leadership is not always about standing in front; sometimes it is about standing behind your team, absorbing the pressure and keeping everyone moving forward.
Leading with purpose: CRMY’s Board of Trustees and Management Team
THE SCIENTISTS FIGHTING THE BATTLE WHERE IT BEGINS
Our scientists dedicate themselves to the demanding journey of research, where every discovery takes patience, perseverance and countless experiments. They do this while carrying their own responsibilities beyond CRMY, yet they continue to ask questions, test, learn and search for answers, because somewhere beyond the laboratory is a patient, a family and a life that could be changed by what they discover. To our scientists: we salute your dedication. Your work may not always be visible, but its impact can reach generations.
Our journey of hope and impact: CRMY’s dedicated scientists
THE PEOPLE WHO WALK BESIDE PATIENTS
Our Community Outreach team brings CRMY’s mission directly to people. Through Nurse Navigators and Community Navigators working with Pink Ribbon Centres across Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak, they support breast cancer patients with guidance, information and reassurance during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. They listen, educate and connect patients to the support they need, reminding them that they are not alone. While our scientists work to understand cancer, our Community Outreach team brings knowledge, support and hope to the people behind the statistics.
Walking beside patients: The Community Outreach team
THE ENGINE THAT KEEPS EVERYTHING MOVING
Behind the mission are teams who make sure CRMY keeps moving. Finance manages the demanding numbers, budgets, payments, reporting and deadlines that keep the organisation running, while HR keeps the workplace organised and brings colleagues closer through activities and events. Our IT & Facilities team is always on standby, day or night, weekday or weekend, troubleshooting, fixing and keeping our office and systems working when we need them most. Their work may go unnoticed when everything runs smoothly, but it is precisely because they are there that it does.
The engine behind the mission: Finance, HR, IT & Facilites
THE VOICES THAT BUILD CONNECTIONS
Our Telefundraising team reaches out to build new connections, nurture existing ones and keep supporters engaged, while our Donor Engagement team works tirelessly with donors, coordinates events and delivers against tight deadlines. Their persistence and relationships help turn generosity into the resources needed for research and awareness.
Building connections, growing support: The Telefundraising team
TURNING SCIENCE INTO SOMETHING EVERYONE CAN UNDERSTAND
Our Science Communications team brings cancer science closer to the public through monthly webinars in three languages, laboratory tours and community events. By translating complex research into language people can understand, they turn knowledge into awareness and help create conversations that can make a difference.
THE STORYTELLERS BEHIND THE SCENES
Marketing Communications makes sure CRMY’s story reaches the world, organising events, managing merchandise, writing stories and copy, maintaining media relationships, websites and social media, and handling the countless details behind every campaign. When communications are done well, the audience sees the story, not the work behind it.
Turning support into impact – Donor Engagement, Science Communication and Marketing Communications Team: snap taken during Life is funny 3.0
THE BRIDGE TO NEW POSSIBILITIES
CTSB may be a separate entity from CRMY, but its contribution matters. By building new connections, opening doors and generating revenue, the CTSB team creates opportunities that strengthen the wider mission.
Creating connections and new possibilities: The CTSB team
AND TO THE PERSON WHO MAKES OUR MORNINGS A LITTLE BETTER
Our janitor may be one of the easiest heroes to overlook, yet every day they help make CRMY a clean, comfortable place to work. From keeping our spaces tidy to ensuring our cups and spoons are clean and dry and keeping the coffee bottle and sugar full, these seemingly small acts make a difference. There are no small roles when everyone contributes to a shared mission.
DIFFERENT ROLES. ONE MISSION.
Scientists, fundraisers, communicators, leaders, administrators, navigators, problem-solvers and the many people working quietly behind the scenes, different roles, different responsibilities and different pressures, but one shared purpose: to save lives.
In 1957, our nation fought for the freedom to determine its own future. At CRMY, we are fighting for another kind of freedom, the freedom to live without the fear of cancer. The freedom to hope. The freedom to live.
ONE DAY, WE HOPE TO CELEBRATE OUR OWN INDEPENDENCE DAY
Perhaps that day is still in the future, but we believe it can come, a day when breakthroughs change lives, cancer is detected earlier and fewer families hear the words, “You have cancer.” Perhaps one day, CRMY will celebrate its own Independence Day: the day we declare freedom from cancer.
Until then, the battle continues. And so do our unsung heroes. Every scientist, manager, fundraiser, navigator, communicator, administrator and colleague who quietly makes someone else’s work possible is part of this fight. Somewhere, someone is living because people like you chose to care.
TO EVERY CRMY COLLEAGUE – THANK YOU.
Thank you for showing up, carrying your responsibilities, supporting one another and believing that what we do matters. You are the people behind the mission, the strength behind the science and the heart behind the work. You are CRMY.
This Merdeka, as we celebrate the freedom of our nation, let us remember the freedom we are still fighting for. May we continue to stand together until the day Malaysia, and the world, can truly say:
WE ARE FREE FROM THE FEAR OF CANCER.
Until that day comes, the fight continues. And together, we will keep fighting.
Selamat Hari Merdeka, Malaysia.
To our Trustees, Management, Scientists, Finance, HR, IT & Facilities, Telefundraising, Donor Engagement, Science Communications, Marketing Communications, CTSB, our janitorial team, and every single person who contributes to CRMY, this is your story too.
And to our donors, sponsors, partners, volunteers, supporters, collaborators, patients, families and well-wishers, thank you. Your trust, generosity and support give this mission strength and allow our people to continue the fight.
Together, we are not simply fighting cancer. We are fighting for a future where cancer no longer takes away the freedom to live.