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.

Caregiver, my HERO~

Along my journey to recovery, I have to admit that fighting cancer alone is pretty impossible.
Tough & spirited that I may sound in my previous blog entries, there are times when I feel so tired & fighting spirit is at a low level.
At times, the mental & physical stress drains every drop of sunshine that we carry in our feeble body.
The thought about pain & death always cast a long shadow and cover the hope that we carry in our mind & heart. Walking alone is TOUGH.

At this time, a caregiver plays a very important role in walking with us to overcome the challenges.

During chemotherapy, radiotherapy or operation, a cancer patient will have difficulty in performing everyday tasks like cooking, cleaning, drinking, eating, talking or walking to the toilet. He or she needs the emotional support as well as someone to talk to.
A caregiver is the person whom cares & look into the needs of the cancer patient.
The caregiver could be a family member or a friend or a community service volunteer.

My wife, Mimiko

The person whom had walked with me throughout the ordeal is my wife, Mimiko Nezu. She sat beside me the day when the doctor told me I had cancer. She walked me to the operating theater for my biopsy. She accompanied me to Singapore to get my 2nd opinion as well as to meet my surgeon doctor. She traveled back with  me on the same day by bus before we went for my 1st chemotherapy on the following day at SDMC. Two months later, she accompanied me to Singapore again for my operation. She waited for me at the operating theater & she was the one whom I saw when I opened my eyes. She had accompanied me to every chemotherapy session. She was there for every check up. She was with me every step that I had took.
For 6 months, she kept herself strong & become the pillar to my family. She had only wept once, the day I was diagnosed. To have such strong determination & becoming a strong supportive role player, it amazes me & earn every bit of my respect towards her.

Mimiko & myself

At Lover's Bridge, Tg Sepat

During my chemotherapy, my emotions & frustration was so erratic. Sometimes I feel strong, sometimes I just want to throw tantrums. At times I just don't want to talk or I just need to find someone to vent my frustrations. Mimiko was always the person whom would be there to get all my bombardments. She was always my boxing bag.

Being a foreigner & not well versed with the local language, I can imagine how hard it is & how much of work she needs to put to understand every situation which we were in. She was my dictionary to all the medicines used, the possible side effects, the causes of my cough, the prefect to see that I go to bed early & all kinds of information that I need to know about cancer.

She cooks my meal, things which I'm able to eat & only good for the health. But most of it are not tasty to the taste buds. She has to skip her sukiyaki beef, her japanese curry, the limited choice of vegetables, less meat... but fish everdy day & she even drinks beer/alcohol much lesser. Most of the time she will not drink in front of me eventhough I told her that it was allright. (I love drinking moderately too).
It was a noble & supportive act.

Mimiko & Ryusei

Apart from taking care of me, she has to care for our son, Ryusei as well. During school days, she will sometimes send & fetch from the school. Once back, she has to revise the studies with Ryusei, especially for the term 1 & term 2 exams. Luckily Ryusei has been a good boy & did'nt give much problem to Mimiko.
The things that Mimiko did for me, the list just goes on & will never end. This is the true dedication Mimiko had given me, as a partner, as a friend, as a wife & above all, as my caregiver. (she's expecting me to buy a gift for her after reading this blog, " hahahahah " ... an Ipad or an Iphone.). 


I considered myself as a very lucky cancer patient as I have two caregivers.
The 2nd person whom had walked with me was my mom, Doris How. She had wept for me & I was so frustrated to had caused it. At times, I vent my frustrations & she will just absorb all my criticisms. At her age, I was ashamed that she still has to care for me. This shows how far a mother's love can go for her own children. She never gets tired & always want the best for her children. She sacrifices her time & sleep, just to cook nutritious food and soup for me. I believe every mother out there are as noble.

My mom & dad stays about 15mins away from my place.
For the past 6 months, she has been helping my family like ferrying Ryusei to & fro from school, preparing my meals & sometimes meal for my family & asking around about things like chinese herbs & qiqong. She has supported me emotionally, filling me with hope & having me to focus on healing. She reiterated me that I need to get well since Ryusei is still young & needs the support of a father.
All the things which my mom had done for me, I will never forget & always cherish it in my heart.
Till this day, she still cooks for me... bringing me multi grain rice with fishes, cordyceps, buck wheat tea... these are the food which my mom had cooked & filled with love.

Throughout my blog, I had only shared about the experience on myself.

This blog is a special one. 

A dedication to all the caregivers out there whom had helped the cancer patients to take heart & fight till the end.

Thank you, Caregivers~. 

P/S : Thank you to all my friends, family & relatives whom had encouraged me all the way.

Without you guys, the road will be much rougher.

Qiqong for Cancer

At a B-day party

(26th Jul 2011)
Hello,
Just came back from my routine check up.
Was just suppose to be a simple 2mths routine check up.
Ended up doing a CT scan because found some dark spots on my lungs.
Apparently my operated bronchial was slightly infected due to my chronic cough.
Seems like I need to talk less & cough less too. Need to give time for the bronchial & lungs to rest.
In fact, its exactly what my chinese doctor told me too. "You need to talk less. Must give time for your trachea & lungs to recover. So, keep quiet & move less."
Well, keeping still is just not my nature... but I will still try to take the advise.

Guess what!! I have met Aida today. She was at SDMC with her fiance, Azmir for her check up.
She looks good, cheerful & full of energy. They are gearing up for their marriage on 16th September.
CONGRATULATIONS AIDA & AZMIR ~!
http://munirah18.blogspot.com/


Overall, it was such a BIG relieved. I'm healthy since my last chemo on 10th May.
All my workouts, strict diet, ample sleeping hours & change of attitude paid off.
Of course I need to continue on what I'm doing now. Afterall, its going to be a lifetime routine just to stay healthy.

I have started my qiqong about 3 wks back. My parents got to know this man whom was in advanced 4th stage for colon cancer. His liver was infected as well. He had a heart bypass earlier which made the condition complicated.  Given the odds, he was not given any treatment due to his serious condition.
That was 5years 2mths back last I spoke to him about a mth back.

When I saw this man, his face projects a healthy bright complexion. His cheerful attitude & positive body movement was like a beacon of hope to any cancer patient and survivor. He shared his experience on various treatments & doctors which he had seen . He had tried all types of qiqong & apparently he found a type of qiqong practice which suits his condition & with good time length.
Its called Shaolin Qiqong Yat Chi Sin.(in cantonese)

This qiqong practice will last approximately 1hr 15mins. Its shorter compare to many other types of qiqong.
It involves the movement of the body, the breathing exercise & concentration in feeling the chi flowing in your body. During practice, one must relax himself/herself & have a clear mind while running the qiqong exercises.
One just need to follow the music & instructions during the practice. Its pretty simple once you learn all the moves. Just follow the seniors during the routine but make sure what we are doing is correct as well.

For this small group which I had joined, there is a "C-heng" (senior) whom helps us on the movements. His teachings are very easy to understand & he will explain the movements & the breathing step by step. He will run through the steps again & again until we understand. This is really helpful for anyone whom is new to qiqong.
We practice qiqong at Taman Kinrara 2, at the Rukun Tetangga which is well lit, spacious & many parking space. Its just opposite Tadika Ria which is shaped like a castle.
This type of qiqong is just right, fit into my schedule & has more movement to keep me awake.

(6th Aug 2011)

So sorry for this long lapse. I was pretty tied up with many activities during the past 2 weekends.
Was so tired & it took me a while to recover. Even weekdays are pack with qiqong exercises & teaching my son Bahasa Malaysia in preparation for his semester exam.

Now, lets go back to our topic.
I found a great site which explains qiqong in laymen term. 
"Chi Gong is similar to T'ai Chi in that it is a general term for movements or meditations invented by the Chinese that help to strengthen and regulate the internal energy, or "chi", that the Chinese believe is the basis of health. By performing these seemingly simple movements or meditations the Chinese believe that you can maintain and recover your health. So Chi Gong is really the Chinese way of staying healthy, and everyday early in the morning they meet by the millions in parks across China to practice this basic, but powerful, self health technique." - extracted from www.healthyfoundations.com

These days, there are so many types of qiqong in China.
There is this famous qiqong group called Guolin Qiqong. Its has been actively practicing & promoting qiqong all around the world. It was invented by the renowned qiqong master, as well as painter Mrs Guo Lin from China, a cancer patient with relapse history as well. After practicing her modified form of qiqong, her cancer had abated.

In China, there were many studies on qiqong & its effectiveness to fight cancer. Most of the time, its considered as a supplement to the current cancer therapy. In laymen term, qiqong is an exercise of movements & breathing. The position of the body will help to regulate the oxygen from the controlled breathing to all over the body.

When a body is deficient in oxygen, disease and cancer cells attack & grow in our body. However, when the body is rich in oxygen, cancer cells die & our immune system are strengthen to ward off sickness.
When we meditate during the qiqong exercise, we increase our absorption of oxygen. There must be no distractions, depressing thoughts or worries. Our mind & body must relax, which is the key to balancing the circulation of the Qi & blood. In addition, a sense of happiness is a mojor wellspring of increased confidence & strong fighting spirit.




There are many articles on Qiqong & its benefit to our health from the website.
We need to have an objective & motivation to practice qiqong.

I'm practicing qiqong because I want to be healthy and wish not to have another dreadful cancer experience. 

I do not want to go through the mental & physical pain anymore, nor to share it with my family & friends.

One thing which always haunts a cancer survivor cancer is the recurrence of cancer. 

We will always hear that this person has a relapse or that person's cancer has strike again. 

Sometimes, we hear them pulling through but sometimes we share the solemn sadness of seeing the end of the road for a cancer survivor. 

Sometimes I just wonder, if the qiqong exercises was so effective against cancer, why hasn't it taken centre stage?? Is it because of the drug companies putting a stop to it just because of monetary interest? Or is it because of our human nature.... practicing it halfway & eventually fall out? Short of determination?

Whatever it is, its always worthwhile to try it out. Its free, easy to practice & there are many testimonials on its curing properties.

I'm doing it now. I do hope to give my own testimonial one day. 

Qiqong is definately an addition to my current acupuncture & chinese herbs strengthening process. 

DON'T loose HOPE. Lets FIGHT together. We will NOT LOOSE.