Breast cancer survivor joins bartending contest for a good cause
In February, Miss Macarena Rotger, 36, was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer.
There were four lumps in her breast, and she decided to have a mastectomy the day after the diagnosis.
But she could not afford the $60,000 price tag.
Speaking to The New Paper recently, the boss of The Other Roof, a rooftop bar in Ann Siang Road, said: "When the doctors told me the cost, I was more worried at how I was going to pay for the procedure than the diagnosis."
Miss Rotger, a professional bartender of eight years, then saw how the industry rallied round and helped her to raise funds.
She said: "The ladies in the industry stood by me and carried out an online fundraising page. I had fundraisers not only in Singapore but Shanghai and Puerto Rico too.
"I got a notification each time a donation came in and it was very emotional. It showed me how good humankind and the industry can be."
Miss Rotger did get her mastectomy.
The Chilean citizen, who grew up in Puerto Rico for much of her early life, has been living and working in Singapore for the last two years.
She was among 16 finalists at Speed Rack Asia 2019, an all-female speed bartending competition held in Hong Kong on Oct 27.
All proceeds from the competition went to the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation and together with 26-year-old Ms Jayden Ong from Nutmeg & Clove, a shophouse bar also in Ann Siang Hill, she represented Singapore at the event.
Said Miss Rotger: "It was more than a competition to me. All the competitors supported one another and I feel so privileged to have met all the amazing women who came together for this wonderful cause."
Ms Summer Lo from Four Seasons Hong Kong was crowned this year's champion.
Ms Lynnette Marrero, co-founder of Speed Rack, told TNP that for the first time, the event raised $1 million.
She said: "The competition aims to raise money for breast cancer charities and to raise the awareness of female bartenders in Asia. We look forward to raising funds in Hong Kong for research and breast cancer support groups."
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