Would you know what to say if a friend told you about their breast cancer diagnosis? Jacob Soo first encountered a moment like this two decades ago. He was just 18 then.

A church volunteer, he was close to a young family that had just lost their father to lung cancer. Shortly after, the mother told him privately about her breast cancer diagnosis. Her two young children were then both under 10.

Soo was at a loss for words. And as a young man, he knew little about the disease. However, he sensed her deep fear, not just for herself, but for her children who would be orphaned if she too succumbed to cancer.

So he did the only thing he could at that point. He listened. "I became that invisible sounding board for her to share whatever she was fearful of," Soo recalled.

The mother underwent treatment and recovered from breast cancer. But Soo did not forget the sense of helplessness he felt as a friend.

And many years later, when he came across a job advertisement for a leadership role at Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF), these memories came back to him.

By this point, the 41-year-old had spent around 20 years in the non-profit and public sector, including as executive director of the Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.

Soo became BCF's general manager on Sep 1. The social service agency advocates for early breast cancer detection, and provides education and psychosocial support - including support groups, art therapy and yoga classes - for those affected by breast cancer.

"It felt like a calling. Previously, I didn't know much. I was ignorant... So perhaps it's a homecoming - revisiting the topic of breast cancer again," reflected Soo.

Is it challenging for a man to head BCF, tackling a cancer that mostly afflicts women and affects one of our most intimate body parts?