THE lyrics of the girl-power hit, I Will Survive, bear special meaning for actress Koh Chieng Mun.
The 50-year-old, who will perform the song in this year's National Day Parade (NDP), was diagnosed with breast and kidney cancer in late 2005. She was given the all-clear in 2007 after an operation and several rounds of chemotherapy.
Since her recovery, she has taken on a new challenge: starting a company which distributes dietary supplements.
Ms Koh, known for her role as heartland wife Dolly in television sitcom Under One Roof, said overcoming illness has made her stronger and happier.
'I am exhilarated to be in one piece. After my illness, I learnt how to live in the moment. When I turned 40, I told myself 'fabulous at 40'. At 50, 'I will survive'. I will survive cancer,' said the single woman.
Her plucky attitude and personal life journey made her the perfect choice for the song item, which is part of the 51/2 minute segment, Against All Odds.
It illustrates how Singapore has overcome obstacles such as economic and political instability to achieve prosperity.
Said Ms Koh, who is participating in the NDP for the first time: 'I am not a singer, but Ivan approached me and said he needed a diva, someone with gravitas.' Mr Ivan Heng is creative director of this year's parade.
The lyrics of the song, she added, 'resonated with me on many levels'.
'As a businesswoman, I know the recession is very real and we all have to keep afloat and on a personal level, there was my struggle with cancer.'
Her segment starts with 12 men scaling two towers and 300 wushu pugilists and army personnel sparring against a backdrop of news headlines depicting the crises faced by Singapore.
It ends with a computer-generated animation showing Singapore beaten down. Then a call by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong rallying the people to persevere during the Sars outbreak, taken from an August 2003 clip, sets the stage for Ms Koh's number.
As she sings, the grid climbers reach the top of the nine-storey towers while the other performers get on their feet and wave silver flags to symbolise victory.
Ms Koh, who will wear a blue-and-silver gown by costume designer Frederick Lee, also has to walk through a sea of flying rifles tossed in the air by 50 military policemen.
Colonel Desmond Tan, chairman of the NDP show committee, said: 'This segment is very apt in displaying Singapore's resilience and unity in overcoming many national crises from our separation to riots, building collapse and so on.
'Even the current economic woes are not new and the message to the audience is that as long as we stay united and resilient, we can overcome all odds.'
The performers trained for at least two months, putting in three to four hours several times a week. The grid climbers, for instance, went through physical training to prepare for the routine.
Master Warrant Officer Jeffrey Wong, coordinator of the grid-climbing team, said of the training: 'We suspended them with harnesses at the bottom of the tower to help them to get used to that position. It was very painful and uncomfortable.'
Team member, Pte Russell Quah, 18, said taking part taught the team members that they could accomplish anything they set their mind on.
He said: 'At the start, we could not stand being hung for even five seconds because it was so painful. But we did not give up. Now we know our performance on Aug 9 will be just perfect.'
Likewise, choreographer Gordon Choy felt the hard work was worth it even though he was stricken with Bell's palsy, a partial paralysis of facial muscles, 'probably due to stress and lack of rest'.
The 34-year-old, who has recovered, said: 'The organisers told me to rest but I wanted to go on. It was my personal fight against the odds.'
For Ms Koh, taking part in the NDP has been worthwhile. All the hard work will culminate in Singapore's annual extravaganza celebrating the nation's birthday.
Asked about what he hoped Singaporeans will take away from this segment, Col Tan said: 'Even during this uncertain economic and pandemic times, we hope Singaporeans will stay together and ride the storm to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.'
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
