1 Year After, My CancerVERSARY

Sg Palas Tea Plantation

Hello ~! ,

Today is the day when I had gone to the operating theater & came out renewed. 

Lost in her drama world

Just cant believe it. Its exactly a year now. 

In fact, its more than a year the day I was diagnosed with cancer. 

I know I have been lagging on my blog... need to buck up ~!                  


Below is just part of what I had wrote during my retreat to Cameron Highlands during Christmas.
Stayed there for a week with my family.

I'm in Cameron Highlands again, writing this blog, while my wife is in the room with her computer & my son running around with his scooter.

Xmas present fr GodParents

Its been more than 1 year since I was diagnosed with stage 3 trachea cancer.
I celebrated it with Mimiko & Ryusei by spending a week at Father's Guest House in Tanah Rata Cameraon Highlands. 

To think about the minute I was told "I'm sorry, but you have CANCER", I just can't believe its already 1 year now.
I have made very good progress, had some hiccups but overall, it has turn out to be a GREAT 2011 year ~!

Below were the events during my journey to well being.

Just got up fr Ops at HDU

17th Dec 2010 - Found a mass in the trachea

18th Dec 2010 - Went for a bronchoscopy test with Dr Jurina at Columbia Hospital

21st Dec 2010 - Was informed that I have cancer

22nd Dec 2010 - Went to SDMC to meet oncologist, Dr Foo Yoke Ching

23rd Dec 2010 - Went for a PET scan at Wijaya Medical Centre

27th Dec 2010 - Went to Singapore, Raffles Hospital(Dr Donald Phoon) & Mt Elizabeth(Dr T.Agasthian) for 2nd opinion

My Souvenir

28th Dec 2010 - Had my 1st chemotherapy at SDMC

18th Jan 2011 - Had my 2nd chemotherapy

8th Feb 2011 - Had my 3rd chemotherapy

28th Feb 2011 - Went to Singapore to get ready for my operation by Dr T.Agasthian

1st Mar 2011 - Had my operation to extract the cancerous portion from my trachea

29th Mar 2011 - Had my 4th chemotherapy

19th April 2011 - Had my 5th chemotherapy

10th May 2011 - Had my 6th chemotherapy

28th Jun 2011 - Back to work

During my journey, I have changed & saw many things which I have never realize to be of such importance.

Look at the COLORs !

Regular CT Scan chk-ups

Even though the journey was painful, it had made me STOP & LOOK around at the people & beautiful things (look at the flower which I had captured).
Every part of me felt thankful that I'm able to open my eyes & enjoy another beautiful day ahead.
I'm so happy to have my wonderful wife@caregiver, son, parents / in-laws, brother & sister, nephews, family members, friends, colleagues, bosses and many more whom had played a BIG part in my road to recovery.

My Resolution
The incision from the surgery on the chest does not hurt anymore now. 
But the foot long scar serves as a reminder to lead a positive and healthy lifestyle.
I take care of my body... making sure it gets the proper nutrition and exercise.
I still go for my routine morning walks & weekly acupuncture. I practice my Qiqong twice a week.

I'm able to control my emotion much better now, especially when I'm driving.
I look at things from a new perspective.
I have new objectives to keep myself going. New goals to achieve every year.
 

Mt Kinabalu

My next one will be conquering Mt Kinabalu. Scheduled to be on early Jul 2012.
My brother had asked me to join him for the Singapore Marathon at the end of the year. Will probably go for the half marathon(20km).

I would like to help as many cancer patients as possible. Assist them in their war against cancer.
What every cancer patient needs to have is the courage & emotional support.
The road to recovery is difficult but not impossible.
I have seen & heard many remarkable recoveries. People whom did not give up eventhough diagnosed at the 4th stage & advance stage.
They are the real CHAMPIONS whom have strong spirit & look at things positively.
They had beat the odds & came back stronger than before. 

I miz this place !

I will do my best in whatever that I do. I cherish all the people around me.
I look into the details off the things around me.
Frequent excursion trips will always be in my mind.
I shall also continue my acupuncture treatment with Dr Cheung, Dr Zhao & staffs at EverHealthy Care Centre..

I have always wanted to run my own small business ... Hope to materialize this in the very near future.
Need to slow down my pace & take things slowly.

What ever it is, DO NOT BE AFRAID OF CANCER.
Face it with courage & outrun it. You are not alone & many people will run with you.
All you need to do is to ask. Many will share their experience.
Many will tell you that its not hard, just do not give up.
Drive yourself with strong determination.

Love everyone around you.

I know just how hard it is to do rather than to tell you the above things.

Nevertheless, I have every right to tell you so as I have went through the process myself.

Time waits for no one. The seconds tick away even as we speak. Live your life to the fullest.

Take care of yourself & cherish all the loved ones around you.

Till then, Cheers ~!

TERRY FOX RUN 2011 - Working Together to Outrun Cancer

Terry Fox Run 2011, just right before the race

Good day,
I have just participated in a run at Padang Merbok.
It was a non competitive and in commemoration of Terry Fox.
Terry Fox is a Canadian cancer activist & is famous of his Marathon of Hope in the early 80s.
He was 18yrs old when he was diagnosed with bone cancer & had his right leg amputated.

When he was hospitalised, he was overcome by the suffering of the other cancer patients, especially the younger ones. It was then that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

At the Starting Line

His run was called "Marathon of Hope".
His run started in 1980

The Sea of People

Below is a short write up which I had copied from the Terry Fox Foundation website.

http://www.terryfox.org/Foundation/index.html


The Terry Fox Run is an annual non-competitive charity event held in numerous regions around the world in commemoration of Canadian cancer activist Terry Fox, and his Marathon of Hope, and to raise money for cancer research.
The event was founded in 1981 by Isadore Sharp, who contacted Terry in hospital by telegram and expressed his wishes to hold an annual run in Terry's name to raise funds for cancer research. The event is held every year on the second Sunday following Labour Day. Since its inception, it has raised via the 'Terry Fox Foundation' close to $500 million dollars. The run itself is informal which means that the distance often varies, usually between 5 and 15 kilometres; participation is considered to be more important than completing the set distance. There are also runs set up by schools of every level, often with shorter distances than the "official" ones.
Unlike other major fund raising events, the Terry Fox Run has no corporate sponsorship. This is in accordance with Terry Fox's original wishes of not seeking fame or fortune from his endeavour. During his cross-Canada run, he turned down every endorsement he was offered (including from major multinationals such as McDonald's), as he felt that it would detract from his goal of creating public awareness. The Terry Fox Runs have no advertisements on any race related materials (such as t-shirts, banners, etc).

2011 T-shirt

3 of us had done it, have you?

Participation is easy. Just turn up on that day, get a T-shirt, mingle around and start running once it starts.

This year, the distance was set at 3.6km
It varies based on the route which the organizing committee had chosen.
Importantly, its the participation that counts.
There are many cancer survivor groups whom participated too. Its very encouraging to see all of the survivors so energetic and positive. If you are one whom are still in the fight, come join the run. Its like getting a steroid jab onto your arm.

At the Finish Line

                   Come & join me next year !
       Tag your self to the their Facebook page.

Emotions Feed Cancer...for Better or Worse?

Hello Dear Readers : )

These 2 months had been very hectic.... I have so much to do since I recovered from the therapies.
There was work, hard decisions to make, guest, dinners, weddings, chauffeuring, my son, my parents, house work.... It feels like everything came all together.. all cramp into a small nicely packaged box couriered to me.
                                                          
When there is so much to do, so many times that we forget about our emotional control.
Deep inside myself, I know that it's bad & not what I had hoped for.
I needed rest. I needed peace in my mind. I needed a healthy body to produce good antibodies.


With so much thunderstorm in the evenings, the thought of missing my qiqong most of the time made me felt worse.
This created a BIG sense of guilt in my road to be healthy. 

With all these pressures & 'things to do', does it make sense?
I say STOP!
Look around~...., do I need to press myself forward again? To gain materialistic wealth?
To change my car & to shift to a bigger house? To be a higher position manager?

                                                                                                                              

All of these physical wants & needs trigger various positive & negative emotional feelings.
Like for eg, Fear, Greed, Anger, Hate, Sadness, Depression, Despair, Revenge, Powerlessness, Resentment, Happy, Love, Thankful, Appreciation, Joy, Freedom & many more.

Do I resent on how I feel now?
NO! In fact I'm glad that it happened.
It gives me a chance to test myself and control my emotions.
Controlling our emotions are one of the hardest thing to do as it comes very naturally before our mind can judge whether its the right or not.

I found the below phrase. Its the link between our 'emotions vs cancer'. 
http://www.alternative-cancer-care.com/Cancer_Survivor_Program.html

"This prolonged emotional stress causes stress-hormone cortisol levels to spike within your body, depleting important adrenaline reserves, causing a breaking of the cells 'oxygen krebs cycle', leading to cell-mutation and cancer."

In short, the below emotional examples are good to our body in fighting cancer & avoidance of recurrence case. 

We should have lots of the below.

                                                                                                                    

Happy - More of these ~!
Cheerful - Smile when you see a stranger. Wish them Good Morning~.
(It always worked for me. Chances are I know that the person whom I wished will feel cheerful today.)

Serenity           Joy                    Cheerful
Admiration      Freedom            Please
Trust               Appreciation      Delightful
Acceptance     Thankful
                                                                                                                    
Avoid the BELOW....

Anger            Disappointment

Hate              Shame

Grief              Sadness
Revenge         Stressful
                                                                                                                    


Having said the above, its so much harder to put it into practice.
I will just quote a few examples of what I'm doing now.

IF my ANGER flares, walk away & avoid fights, especially when I'm driving.

TRY not to not hold GRUDGES. Let bygones be bygones.

TRY not to STRESS myself during work. I have done my best & shouldn't feel guilty of things beyond my control.

DONT think too far, be HAPPY & GRATEFUL of what I have now. Look around the people around me.
They are the ones whom were with you & cared for you. Cherish every second with them.

If you feel tired, DROP the things that you are doing & go rest. Take a day off.
Go shopping, go for coffee, go buy a book & relax. Look around the city. When was the last time you had been there?

Go for EXERCISE. Its a good way to de-stress the body. Go for a walk in the evening after dinner. It will make you sleep better.

Be THANKFUL everyday. Everytime I open my eyes in the morning, I am grateful that I am able to spend another day in this beautifully created world.

EXPLORE the things that you wanted to do. Go to those place which you had always wanted to go.
Go for a picnic. 

                                                                                                             

There are so many things that you can think of & do.
Its all within your own imagination.
As long as you have all the positive energy & none of the negative energy.
Things will get better & have a positive mindset.
The next time you want to erupt, think again.
Why not save your emotion & energy to be HAPPY & CHEERFUL? 

We can OUTRUN cancer. ~!

Fresh Air & a Relax Mind, a Bane to Cancer

I'm writing this blog from Cameron Highlands. 
Came here alone for a good supply of fresh air, to boost my immune system & relax my mind. Stayed at "Father's Guest House", a serene old english style bungalow, hidden away at Tanah Rata. 

Why fresh air? Does it help in fighting cancer? 

Fresh crisp air is filled with oxygen. It has very little foreign molecules that's bad for the body. Oxygen helps the antibody to be strong. Once the antibody is strong, it will have the ability to kill off bad cells like cancer cells.

28 Aug'11, Sunday

Started my journey at 5.45am this morning. Quite a number of cars were zooming on the road, rushing back for the long Hari Raya holidays.
I made a stop at the waterfalls halfway up to Cameron. Took in a lot of good negative ions.
Played the jazzy Norah Jones & Air Supply all the way till I reached Boh Tea Plantation.
It was about 9.30am.

After navigating a long stretch of narrow road, I reached the tea plantation hills. The greenish rich tea aroma from the factory filled my deprived lung. The air was so crisp fresh and cool. Straightaway I climbed the look-out point at a steady pace. Guessed my qiqong practice did help as I did not stop for any rest until I reached the top. The view and the air was fantastic. A small plane and an eagle was soaring up in the blue sky. The wind was blowing steadily, creating a silent whisper in the ears... not even a drop of sweat. Nothing but crisp fresh air. Spent an hour there... done light qiqong exercises & took in a lot of quality air.


















Then, I made my way to Tanah Rata, took my simple lunch at a local restaurant. The locals were friendly & the price was the same as in KL. The guest house was just 2mins away up the green hill & I made an early check-in. Was greeted by the friendly reception, Lynn. She speaks good chinese too.

My impression was very good upon setting eyes on this cozy guesthouse. It has that old english feel, clean gardens with colourful flowers, tall pine trees around the premise, an archway with crawling yellow flowering plants to greet the guest when they walk into the dormitory, 2 brown friendly alsation dogs & a hairy one roaming the compound... it really sets you into a lazy mode, a serene quiet getaway from the bustling city life.

My room was the last one, facing an open garden and a staircase down to another garden. It comes with an attached WC. This is what I wanted, just a basic room with 2 most important thing, bed & toilet.  It was terrific! I quickly got all my things from the car & settle down. WIFI is available for free. Got online & the speed was a decent 700kbps (Not too bad since I'm up in the mountain). My room key was made from brass, very expensive material at the current market price.


Didn't go out on the 1st day. Just spent my time finishing my previous blog & before started this one.
Had a couple of hot scones with fine strawberry jam for tea. Then, it started raining... then, it become a drizzle.I had spaghetti with tomato sauce with a hot fresh mushroom soup for dinner. It started raining hard again, the mist came in & made things so COLD... & just like a foggy english town. Dozed off early. 

29 Aug'11, Monday

Chapati & Milo

Woke up to a chilly 6.20am morning. Got myself ready & went out to walk with the umbrella. It was windy & misty, the temperature was freezing. Breathe in loads of morning cool air. With the bountiful of oxygen, the mind & body was fresh. It was definitely worth every mile driving up here. Had a simple breakfast, chapati & milo.

Cabbages

Rows of Salad

Mt Brinchang

It looks like a long rainy day. The drizzling didn't stop but it didn't stop me from getting out of the car to snap a few good pictures. Started my day with a tour to the local vegetable farm. Took some pix, bargained & bought some sweet corns & leeks. Then, I saw a road sign which says "9km to Mt. Brinchang". So, I made a U-turn & up the winding road. The roads were treacherous. Due to the holidays, many cars made their way up too. The narrow roads could barely accommodate 2 cars driving side by side. At times, someone has to get out of the car to navigate. As it was raining, the steep roads were slippery. I panic a few times when my tires skidded, there were cars at the front & back as well. Very pressurizing to drive & not bump into another car. Didn't manage to make it to the top since traffic was bad. However, from where I was, the view was already fabulous & the wind was gusting round my head & neck. As it was so cold, I was longing for the warmth of the sun. Needed it to dry my wet shoes & socks.

Vege Farm

Guesthouse

Fish Fillet

Come late afternoon, the rain stopped. There were some last drops of sunshine before evening sink in. Good time to dry the socks, as well as to absorb some heat fr the sun. Had dinner at this cafe called "Jasmine". Seems like an avid Holland football supporter with all the orange wall & banners. My dinner was a simple mushroom soup with a thick slice of juicy fish fillet in pepper mushroom sauce. It was good & satisfying. Retired early by cleaning up the lap top & organizing all the pictures taken from the past 8 years.

30th Aug'11, Tuesday

Blue Sky with Delicious Clouds

Woke up to another chilly morning 6.30am. Readied myself for a good 3km walk around the area.
Reached the room & continue with my qiqong exercise for another half hour. Had a good chat with one of the caretaker here, Jason Chan. A nice gentlemen with a stylish pony tail. His wife is a foreigner as well. Spoke about the past progression in Cameron & the strong sense of belonging here.
Went to Tanah Rata town & had a good steaming scramble eggs, toast & baked beans for breakfast.
Since I needed to check out by today, packed all my stuffs neatly and transferred it to the car by 11am.

Read a book

The dorm

Half of myself was contemplating whether to stay for another night or not. It was a sunny day, the cool breeze was tempting me...asking my mind to think twice about leaving. The rooms were out. Only options were the dormitory beds which is at $15/nite. Took a good look... chose a bed which has a window on top, another bed on the right & a door to a room on the left. This has the least obstruction among the empty beds.So, made a quick decision & here I am, still here taking in cool fresh air. Time for lunch.

Cicada the size of my hand

Spent a good extra day in Cameron Highlands. Took advantage of the good cool weather & walked again in the evening. Spent most of the time reading & putting this blog into place. Hope you guys like the photos.
Main aim is to breathe the fresh air & to relax the mind as much as possible.
Miss my wife & son, Mimiko & Ryusei very much. Looking forward to their homecoming.




31 Aug'11, Wednesday
Woke up at 7am. Everyone else were still sleeping. Began packing my stuffs & slowly crept my way out of the dorm. Loaded all my stuffs into the car & went for my morning walk. Had a good breakfast & finished my blog. As it was a sunny day, will sit for a while to read my book before heading home.
It will be hard to break away from this place but its time to go home. Back to reality.
But I have also made a booking on this coming November.
Plan to come up with Mimiko & Ryusei, to enjoy the air & relaxing moments together.

Last day at Father's Guest House

For the last 4 days, I hoped my lungs had a good share of the clean air. 

Loads of oxygen circulating in my body to help the antibody overpower those bad cells.

Its always good to breath in quality air, after spending most of your time in the city, where the air is polluted & hazy with smoke from the open burning. Imagine what happens to your lungs over a period of time.

Lead a healthy life the fun way. Coming here was fun & fulfilling. 

Till I write again.