The Charitarian: Suzanne Calton

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Suzanne Calton was born in 1978. "The year was special because that's when China started its reform and opening-up policy, which blessed me with my opportunity in Shanghai," she said.

Suzanne and her husband came to China in December 2008. Interestingly, the couple started their very first conversation back in the U.S. by saying "Ni Hao ('how are you' in Chinese)." Her husband learned Mandarin in Australia and always wanted to work in China.

Immensely fond of the Chinese culture, they are now settled in Shanghai and have two sons and three adopted Chinese daughters.

Three years after Suzanne came to China, her mother died of breast cancer. "Few kids grow up thinking that their parents will not be around someday. My mother lost the fight eventually. I was so shocked and depressed."

During this time, she had a vivid dream of people gathering in a splendid hotel ballroom, discussing ways to be proactive in fighting breast cancer. It dawned upon her that instead of fearing it, she should be brave enough to do something about the disease.

Bearing that in mind, she began to look for a venue for a similar event. And she was stunned when she walked into the Kerry Hotel in Pudong New Area, it looked exactly the same as the one in her dream!

This dream soon became the non-profit organization More Than Aware (MTA), whose primary focus is breast cancer prevention and supporting those in recovery.

It has become the largest charity group started by foreigners in Shanghai. The 6th MTA Family Fun Run attracted more than 5,000 participants this year.

"More than Aware was founded in order to promote the positive outlook toward cancer prevention so that people become proactive about recovering and developing healthier habits. I hope MTA can inspire people to make a change."

So how are the participants motivated to fulfill their resolutions?

The annual Fun Run event is held in Shanghai. The participants put on customized T-shirts with their own annual health goal handwritten on the back, such as "sleep eight hours a day" or "eat more veggies." The main color of the T-shirt is either green for cancer survivors in recovery or pink for those who intend to prevent it.

MTA says that pink represents breast cancer awareness, and green symbolizes "take action" and promoting prevention through a healthy lifestyle.

"Anyone can share his annual goal in that way. My husband chose to 'quit chocolate' and '30-minute exercise a day'. They may sound small, but you are truly getting better year after year."

The great event of Fun Run, MTA has also set many Guinness records. In 2013, over a hundred cancer patients were invited to play in the Kerry Hotel's 25-meter-long swimming pool, which had one million pink and green playground balls facilitated by Kerry Hotel Pudong, creating the "Largest Ball Pit" in the world.

A bit funny the record may seem, but it did inspire the cancer patients to live with a brighter mindset.

MTA has recruited up to 100 volunteers from various countries. Suzanne owes its fast and vast achievements to the local Chinese and foreign volunteers coming together and Shanghai's inclusiveness.

"MTA can't take a step forward without the volunteers, especially those from China. We need to 'do as the Romans do' in many other places. But in Shanghai, people are happy to communicate with foreigners. It feels like working in the UN. In fact, China keeps developing and offering a better environment for charity."

During the past decade living in China, Suzanne has been witnessing the economic boom of the country. In 2016, the Charity Law was adopted as China's first comprehensive law that regulates charities, which has greatly facilitated Suzanne's work.

Because of her breast cancer cause, she has befriended many Chinese women, who've impressed her with their changes in the past decade.

"These Chinese women used to center around stable jobs. Now, they are willing to take risks and try new things. I happen to know one of them. She came to Shanghai only to work as a housekeeper, but now she owns a household management company. Although still an emerging thing in China, more women are dedicated to charity, with an open mind to the world."