The "Cake boss"

Do you know who is the "Cake boss" ?

I'm sure many of you knows. If you don't know, go watch TV or YouTube, you will find him.

He is Buddy Valastro!

I love his shows, it's entertaining, creative and fun. He always look very happy in the show, but I never thought that his dad died because of lung cancer when he was young and he went through so much hardship to get by in life.

Now that he is the Life insurance awareness spokesperson for year 2012, I just learned about his life.

Have a look at the video.

Embedding is actually disabled. Just click the video and watch on YouTube. Thank you.


I think he is a great guy. He learned from the past and do the right thing now for his family. He knows that protecting his family is very important and he do not want to give financial burden to his family if something happens to him.

Many people know what they should do. Many people have seen how devastating it can be if a breadwinner in the family passed away unexpectedly. Many people know the mistakes that other people have done. But until now, they keep repeating the mistakes again. They do not want to plan and they are just hoping that something bad will not happen.

Hoping will not help your family if you die. But planning does help.

Do not take tomorrow for granted, as it may never come. You do not know what will happen next. Illness and accident can happen to anyone.

Life insurance is not bought because "you want to die", but it is bought because your loved ones need to continue living. Living with dignity and pride, because you planned ahead and provide for them.


Cheers! Have a great day.

In sickness and in health

                                                       
                                                               Taken from Sunday Times

I'm sure that many people know the above title, especially those who are already married. In my vow, I said that I will love my wife and take care of her in sickness and in health. That is a part of the vow and a very important one. So that is what the article above will tell you, how couple take care their spouse and still loving him/her no matter what. You will know what are their struggles and triumphs as being a care giver for their spouse.

I will just share with you some of the quotes that I felt are very important:

1. "...when one falls ill, it is inevitable that the spouse is the first line of support."

2. "Whatever the gender, there are big lifestyle changes when one partner falls critically or chronically ill. Often, too, there is emotional fallout."

3. "You are grieving but you can't let that part show when the other party is sick and down. If both spouses are down, that's it."

4. "Hefty medical bills add to the stress and often, there are complications to illnesses which can range from stroke to heart attack to chronic ailments such as diabetes".

5. "...gave estimates ranging from $60,000 for Mr Wong's treatments and day care services, to $800,000 for private oncology treatments for Mrs Chan."

1 couple even told their story how they upgraded their house from a 3 room flat, to a maisonette and to a private apartment during their 40 years marriage. Then they are forced to sell the apartment and their car to pay the medical bills.

I was so emotional reading this kind of story. Real story, real people and real love.

I know for sure that people will survive, no matter what kind of storms coming to their life. But to me, if we can mitigate the financial risks of being critically ill, why don't we do it now?

At least it will take away the burden of the monetary issue. You will be able to focus and take care your spouse better. You will not have to worry about selling your house, selling your car, paying your daily bills and expenses, etc.

If you love your spouse, why don't you give the best? Is your vow an empty vow?

Plan now and don't keep waiting. No one knows who will get sick next.



Cheers! Have a great day.

Cancer can "kill" you financially

Apart from hospital insurance which cover your medical bills during your hospital stay and maybe cover some outpatient treatments, critical illness insurance now is also very important.

Why?

1. Drugs are expensive.

In a basic hospital plan, chemotherapy or radiotherapy are usually covered. But not the drugs and injections that have to be taken regularly. These drugs and injections are expensive! Furthermore, many drugs even though they are effective, they are still in experimental stage or in clinical trial. Which means even if you have a comprehensive medical plan, it will not be covered. You will have to bear the cost yourself. The monthly medical cost for cancer patient is about $5,000 a month, just for the drugs and injections. These drugs can usually extend your life by at least 10 years, meaning you will need $600,000 over 10 years.

http://www.healthxchange.com.sg/News/Pages/Discoveries-in-cancer-by-Scientists.aspx

2. Survival rates of cancer patients are increasing but they may have to stop working.

You need money to sustain your living. You can keep paying the medical cost and your living cost provided that you can continue to work as usual. Of course I'm assuming here if your salary is enough to cover the drug cost and living cost. If your salary is not even enough, you are starting to eat your savings already.

Most of the time, if you are diagnosed with critical illness like cancer, you may have to stop working. Because you need to cut the stress and you need your body to recuperate. Of course you can use your savings to live, but how long will it last? Your mind and body is surviving, but what about your finances? Will your money survive if you are still going to live for a long time to come?

http://www.healthxchange.com.sg/News/Pages/Women-Have-Better-Cancer-Survival-Rate-Than-Men.aspx

Here is an example of a cancer patient who still work but have to cut down the working hours and took a pay cut. Now he only work 3 days a week to cope with his cancer. You just can't abuse the body anymore by working endlessly if you are critically ill. You will have to change your lifestyle and this affect your finances!

http://www.healthxchange.com.sg/News/Pages/He-Stopped-Working-12-hour-Days-to-Cope-With-Cancer.aspx

Just for the 2 above reasons, you should understand that critical illness insurance is important. It is because critical illness insurance will pay a lump sum amount to you, if you are diagnosed with a critical illness such as cancer.

So if you have a $1 million critical illness coverage, we will give you $1 million cash if you are diagnosed with critical illness. Then you can use this money to pay all the drugs, injections even alternative treatments all over the world so you can get better. You also can use the money to cover your daily expenses without worrying about working to get the income.

With critical illness plan, you are in the best position to fight cancer!


Cheers! Have a great day.

Spartacus "Andy Whitfield"

Just something different from my normal post.

I'm sure many of you know Spartacus TV series. This guy is the main actor, Andy Whitfield.
I was so impressed by his acting in the series that I like it so much. I watched the season 1 about 6 months ago and I just recently watched the season 2. Then I realized that he is not the main actor anymore. Of course I was just thinking that maybe he refused the role. But the reality turned out to be even worse. He died in September 2011 because of cancer, and I didn't even know. I was so shocked and sad. Because he looked so strong in Spartacus. You will not have the slightest idea that he can fall sick. Just take a look!

                                                       Image from tulsaworld.com

Andy actually want to be in season 2 of Spartacus, but because of the illness, he had to withdraw him self from the role. Then he went everywhere to try and find cure for cancer. Doctor even told him that he only had 3 to 6 months to live. But in the end he managed to live on until 18 months. He left behind a spouse and 2 young children.

Please have a look at the preview of his documentary about cancer. It is about his battle against cancer. They are also trying to raise money so that they can complete the documentary. He wanted this video to help other people who also suffer cancer like him and hopefully to be able to find the cure in the future.

Be here now! that is Andy motto. Enjoy and live the moment because we really never know when our time is up. But of course do not forget to take care your loved ones.

Andy, we missed you. I'm sure that your wife and 2 kids are very proud of you. Rest in peace. God bless.


Cheers! Have a great day.

Cancer case will rise 75%

As you can read from the Reuters website (please go there to read more stories), cancer cases will rise 75% by 2030! That is a tremendous increase. This is no joke anymore. Everyone have that probability to get cancer in their lifetime and sadly there is no way to prevent cancer yet. We only have the ways to reduce the chances to get cancer, but not prevent it.

Let me quote a few things what the article said:
1. "..an increase in cases of cancers linked to poor diet, lack of exercise and other bad habits associated with affluence..."
2. "Cancer is already the leading cause of death in many high income countries and is set to become a major cause of morbidity (sickness) and mortality in the next decades in every region of the world..."

It really does not matter where you live, whether you are in a poor country or a rich country, you can get it. Whether you expect it or not, you can get it.

To me, what important for us to do is just try to be as healthy as we can, have a good diet, enough exercise, plenty of sleep and lower your stress level. Again, this will not prevent cancer. But it certainly will give you more strength and fight back if cancer ever hits you.

Of course, do not forget to check your self with the doctor regularly and if you dont feel well or something seems wrong, please go and see your doctor.

Last thing is to equipped your self with a good hospital plan (which covers your hospital bills) and a good critical illness plan (which gives you a lump sum amount if you are diagnosed with a critical illness).

Cancer can be devastating, emotionally and financially. Let us take care the financial part and in return, you will also be stronger emotionally.


Cheers! Have a great day

Cancer by chance?

I just read this article recently in a newspaper in Singapore. It's great to see Dr Ang always sharing his experiences with us as it really opens up our mind about cancer. When you read the article, you will understand that every time there is a cancer seminar or talk, it will create a lot of buzz and draw a large crowd. Why? I can certainly understand. Because people wants to know more about this elusive illness. They want to know how people got cancer, how people can be treated, how we can prevent cancer, etc.

This is some scary stuffs, but we got no choice. Cancer have become so common that almost all of us know someone who got cancer. We just have to learn to be healthy and be sure that we are in the best condition to fight this illness if it ever come. Not only preparing physically and mentally, but also financially. Common cancer can cost us anywhere in between $100,000 to $300,000 or more.

"Pray for God's grace". That is how Dr Ang answer when a man asked what do I need to do to detect cancer early. It's because cancer have many types and only certain types are easy to diagnosed. Such as breast cancer through mammogram and colon cancer through colonoscopy. But for every other cancer, there is just no definitive check up that can be done accurately.

So what can we do? In my opinion, I agree with Dr Ang, we just have to pray for God's grace and prepare ourself to be healthy and in the best condition that we can, because no one know who will get cancer next. Someone will definitely get it and the number will keep rising. We just don't know who... and that is a fact.


Cheers! Have a great day.

Cancer can be prevented!

Yes, that's what the news said. A study said that half of all cancers are preventable. To me, this is a really really great news! Because in my industry, you will see many cancer cases.

I shall point out the important facts and statistics from the article and you can read the rest from the link that I post below.

Things you should know (hopefully not just knowing, but doing it too):

1. Smoking cause 1/3 of all US cancer cases.
2. Overweight cause another 1/5 of all US cancer cases.
3. It causes US some $226 billion per year in healthcare expenses and lost productivity.

4. Exercising, eating right and refraining from smoking are key ways to prevent up to half of the total cancer deaths.
5. Humans are impatient, and that human trait itself is an obstacle to cancer prevention.
6. Other factors could be income gap, pollution, crime, poor transportation, absence of nearby supermarkets for fresh food, lack of parks for play and exercise, etc.

7. Lastly, one of the most important quote in the article I believe is this "If you watch your diet, exercise, and manage your weight, you can not only prevent your risk of getting many lethal forms of cancer, you will also increase your chances of doing well if you should get almost any form of cancer".

Cancer is a mistery. Nothing can guarantee that you will not get cancer. You can live as healthy as you want, but you may still get cancer. But the point is what the above quote said, if you are healthy you will increase your chances to get well if you get cancer. Do not give excuses anymore, do what you need to do to make yourself healthier.

So the number one absolute point here is this, be as healthy as you can! So that you can enjoy life and be in your best condition for whatever illness that may hit you.


Cheers! Have a great day.

Link: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/health/view/1191875/1/.html

Cancer

channelnewsasia.com

Do you know?

1. Everyone have a risk of developing cancer.

2. In year 2011, 10.9 million people died from cancer.

3. Cancer now kills more children between the ages 3 and 14 than any other illness.

4. In USA, cancer is responsible for 1 out of 4 deaths. While in Singapore, cancer is responsible for 1 out of 3 deaths.

Cancer is a killer, but luckily many cancers now are treatable and you can be cured. You just have to make sure you have enough money to pay the medical bills for all the treatments that you have to go through.

Have a look at the article above, the Argentinian president has just been diagnosed with cancer and you know what, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo have all waged battles against the disease.

You should know that cancer do not discriminate, anyone can be a victim. Be sure to guard yourself against financial catastrophe. Be ready to fight cancer anytime by having the right insurance plans, which are hospital plan and critical illness plan. You want the best chance to win against cancer without worrying about the bills don't you?

Cheers! Have a great day.

Jelly belly cancer

As you can see from the article, this Indonesian is suffering from cancer. The doctor in Indonesia could not figure out what it is, but luckily the doctors in Singapore managed to diagnose it and treat it. The operation it self can cost up to $100,000. Not including other expenses such as the room, medicine, follow up and etc. He works as a general manager in Indonesia. I do not know how much he earns. But roughly on average, a general manager in Indonesia earn maybe about $80,000 a year. So he will spend about 1 to 2 years of his salary to pay for the medical expenses if he do not have insurance. To me, that is not a good financial planning. What do you think?

Do you know that cancer is the no 1 killer in the world by 2010? Now it's already 2011. It's no wonder that we see so many cancer cases almost every other day. We in the insurance industry all over the world have paid out billions of dollars for hospital and critical illness claims to help our policy holders.

This is what's happening, the risks are very real. I am pretty sure that many of you knows someone who have suffered cancer before, be it someone in the family, relatives or friends. I am not saying that everyone will get cancer, but statistics have shown that many people have a chance to suffer from cancer in their life time. Globally, 1 in 8 died from it and in Singapore, 1 in 3 died from it.

No one knows who will get cancer, because it is partly genetics. So it does not matter you are healthy or not, smoking or not, young or old, etc. It may happen. Thus the need to protect yourself with a good hospital and critical illness coverage. You do not buy insurance expecting to get sick. But you buy insurance to make sure that your income is protected, your saving is protected, you and your family life style is protected.

Cheers! Have a great day.

Life is short

As you all may know already, the co-founder of Apple and one of the most extra ordinary people in the field of technology, Steve Jobs have passed away. He is only 56 years old and he is survived by his wife and 4 children. To me, he had done a lot of things to improve people lives. People will always remember him for making life easier, more fun and interesting through his gadget creations.

The cause of his death might be pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancer and it have a very high mortality rate. This year, about 38,000 Americans will be diagnosed with this cancer and 34,000 will die from it. Pancreatic cancer is actually treatable, but the bad news is that this cancer is very hard to detect because there is no reliable screening test for early detection. Also the symptoms are often vague and easily confused with other diseases.

I believe Steve had the best treatment that the world can offer. Maybe he even lived longer than he should because of the advancement of medicine and technology. Yet it still can't cure the sickness. There are still many limitations that doctors are facing. But to able to live a little bit longer, it's good enough for many people.

Steve has a net worth of US$8.3 billion. His family will not have to worry about their future living expenses. His life is short, but he made a lot of impact to the world and he never forget his family. His relative said "Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family. In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family". How wonderful is that?

What about you? Have you provide enough for your family? Are their financial future secured? Life will always end in death. The only thing we don't know is when. Make sure you make your life worth while. Make an impact to other people and never neglect your loved ones.

Steve once said, "No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true."

Cheers! Have a great day.

Source: apple.com, http://pathology.jhu.edu/pc/basicintro.php?area=ba, channelnewsasia.com

Colorectal cancer

Read the full article at http://www.parkwaycancercentre.com/healthnews/article/64

Prevention is always better than cure. Don't you think so?

In the news article, it said that people living in big cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan are more prone to colorectal cancer. No body knows for sure why. But part of it is genetics.

Colorectal cancer is the top killer for men, and is the most common cancer in Singapore. In the states, it is the third most common cancer. The risk of getting colorectal cancer in our lifetime is about 5%. The good news is that the death rate have been dropping. It is because more people are aware of this disease and they more often do screening, so that the polyps that are found in the colon can be removed before it develop into cancers. Other treatments and medicines have also improved over the years and it is now more effective in treating the disease.

Never forget to do your part in being healthy. Eat right, enough exercise, rest well and do check up every now and then as advised by your doctor. Like I said, prevention is better than cure.

Cheers! Have a great day.

More people here getting cancer

http://web.singnet.com.sg/~straj/articles/More%20people%20here%20getting%20cancer.html

This article is actually written in 2008, but looking at the trend and according to ministry of health statistics, the number is increasing year after year. So in 2011 is actually even worse. Some people have not realise this and some people choose to ignore this facts.

Once I was in a conference with more than 100 people and the speaker on the stage asked us "Do you know anyone, whether its family, relatives, friends or colleagues, that have suffered cancer before? If you do, please stand up". Guess what? Everyone of us stood up. Which means the risk of cancer is very real. Everyone of us in the room knew someone who got cancer! Yes I know it happens to other people, but looking at the probability, do not be surprised if something happens to us in the future.

No one knows who is going to get cancer, it can be anybody. There is only 1 thing that you can be sure, the cost of treatment for cancer is very expensive. That is why, now there is a critical illness coverage, where they will give a lump sum payout if you are diagnosed with one of the critical illness.

If you read my previous article about cancer, you know that many people are foregoing treatment because they don't have money left. I will not want to be in that position. Do you? It is always good to have more financial buffer to protect ourself. Because if you got critically ill, you may not work anymore, but you need even more money for your daily and medical expenses. This is where a critical illness payout can be useful.

Cheers! Have a great day.

More cancer patients can't afford care

As you know, in this modern times the advancement and progress in the medical field is very fast and the result is looking good. But with that, it comes at a high price for the patient. As research needs money and lots of it! to produce the technology and the medicine to help cure sick patients.

So this is good news for people who can afford it. But bad news for people who are sick but cannot afford it.

Excerpts taken from CBS news:

In the states according to American Association for Cancer Research, more than 1 million cancer survivors are foregoing cancer care because of cost.

"A growing number of cancer deaths directly attributable to lack of adequate insurance to get the care you need is growing with every passing day," said Dr. John Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society.

The total cost of cancer care can range from more than $2,000 to more than $7,000 per patient each month.

"One in five cancer patients will spend virtually all their life savings to get the treatment they need," Seffrin said.

Read the full article at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/05/eveningnews/main4778543.shtml.


This is a real problem, facing many people all over the world. What we can do now is just plan, to make sure that we have adequate coverage. Do not procrastinate, plan now before it is too late.

I believe that when we are sick, the last thing you want to think about is money. With insurance, you can focus on your recovery and getting better.

Do you want to have to make a life and death decisions based on financial consideration? I don't think so. But that is what happening all over the world.

With insurance, you don't have to make that decision.

Cheers! Have a great day.

Why even healthy people can get cancer?

Many people do not really understand why everybody is at risk from getting cancer.
Statistics shown that 1 in 3 people in Singapore died from cancer. So imagine if you are in a coffee shop, you are eating with 2 of your friends, you know that from statistics 1 of you will get cancer in this life time. The chance is high and it is scary if you think about it.

I found this answer in the internet which may enlightened you about cancer.

Taken from yahoo answer. Thanks to them.

You would think that most people would notice that . . extremely athletic people who are not obese, do not smoke or drink, eat healthy . . well, they still can get cancer despite all their efforts to avoid it . . there is a misconception among the public that cancer is 'caused' by the environment, smoking, obesity, unhealthy lifestyle, or it's genetic. The misconception continues that if they do not smoke, or drink, or take drugs, eat healthy, avoid carcinogens, exercise regularly, that they won't ever get cancer. However, just the fact that babies and children can get cancer should make everyone pause . . most children are well taken care of, fed well, active . . parents do everything right by having regular checkups, avoid carcinogens, feed them vitamin supplements . . and kids still get cancer.

The truth is that no one, not even healthcare providers, know what causes one person or one child to get cancer while another one does not. That is why you can find lung cancer among people who have never smoked a day in their life . . smoking is rotten for you . . but it is not the only factor that causes a person to get lung cancer.

What people should focus on, of course, is the risks . . if you smoke, you have a higher risk of developing cancer and if you do it will be more difficult for you to survive the disease. This is not the same as . . if you smoke you will get cancer. Because that is not true. Same with all other things . . do not drink to excess, smoke to excess, overeat, or do anything to excess because it places you at a higher risk for developing some types of cancer.

Ironically, the medical community and media spend so much time pointing out the risks of smoking and getting lung cancer that they fail to mention you could still develop a bone cancer or leukemia thats totally unrelated to cigarettes.

People should try to stay as healthy as possible, because no one knows who will develop cancer, which type that might develop. By staying healthy and strong people are than in the best position of all to fight cancer should it develop. Prevention and examining your own body for lumps, bumps or anything unusual should become standard practices at a young age. IMHO.

Reference: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070113113030AAlVKG5

Cheers! Have a great day.