Cancer advocate Renée ‘Ney Ney’ Singh recently travelled to Hong Kong while undergoing stage four metastatic breast cancer to serve as a speaker and beacon of hope for patients worldwide.

For Singh, travelling to Hong Kong for the World Cancer Congress 2026, held from September 24 to 26, was about far more than attending an international conference.

It was about standing up for millions of people affected by cancer and making sure the patient voice is heard where decisions about cancer care, support and policy are being shaped.

Having spent almost nine years in remission, the breast cancer survivor is now living with Stage 4 metastatic Luminal B breast cancer with bone metastases.

Yet while facing her own difficult treatment journey, she continues to advocate for others through her organisation, Warriors With A Purpose South Africa.

The session brought together patient advocates to discuss the importance of patient-led organisations, lived experience and partnerships in creating more people-centred cancer care.

She also engaged with advocates, healthcare professionals, policymakers and organisations from Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and other parts of the world, gaining valuable insight into how different countries are addressing cancer awareness, patient support, education, advocacy and access to care.

Singh used the opportunity to highlight issues close to her heart, including psychosocial and emotional support for patients and families, cancer education, early detection, equitable access to treatment and the importance of recognising the lived experience of patients.

“Just 10 minutes before the session began, I had to take my oral cancer treatment, and I thereafter walked straight into the session and took my place on the global stage,” she said, reflecting on the experience.

Together with other advocates, Singh delivered what she described as an incredible conversation centred on patient voices, lived experience and the power of patient-led advocacy.

“I wasn’t standing there because I had overcome cancer. I was standing there while living with it,” she said.

Her participation in Hong Kong also carries particular significance because she was diagnosed with her recurrence in February 2026, shortly after being awarded a fully funded scholarship to attend the Congress.

Instead of allowing her diagnosis to take away the opportunity, she continued forward. She arrived in Hong Kong living with Stage 4 cancer and left having strengthened her connections with a global community working towards better outcomes.

For Singh, the certificate of attendance she proudly brought home represents more than an achievement. It represents resilience, purpose and the power of continuing to show up.

“Sometimes you don’t wait until the battle is over to make an impact. You show up while you’re still fighting,” says Singh.

Her advocacy is simple. People living with cancer need more than treatment. They need information, dignity, compassion, emotional and psychosocial support, and a seat at the table.

“And sometimes, that voice has to travel thousands of kilometres to be heard,” she said. “I did exactly that despite carrying the financial burden of fundraising for my life-saving treatments. I took the voice of a South African cancer patient to Hong Kong and stood tall on a global stage while still fighting my own battle. This was more than a Congress session. It was purpose in action.”