Cancer Survivor Stories

Colon Cancer: Recovery After Stage 3

Goh Deo Chek / 75 years old
Segamat, Johor, Malaysia

I used to be very fit. I hoped to become a soldier when I was young but my aspiration did not fall through due to all sorts of reasons. Later I opened a small sundry shop and brought up 4 kids. In 1998, at the age of 63, my health started to decline. I began to have diarrhea, passing out bloody motions, sometimes with blood clots. Though my weight plummeted, I did not go and see the doctor. When my son who was working out-of-town came to visit on August 31st 1998, he insisted on bringing me to a hospital in Melaka for a medical check-up.

 

Surgery Even Before I knew I Had Cancer 

On the next day the doctor, without telling me, informed my wife that I had third stage colon cancer. It was very serious because my bladder was also affected. I had to undergo surgery straightaway. My wife told me I was having a blocked colon and needed an operation the next day. Part of my colon, the surrounding lymphatic system and a tumour were surgically removed the next day. I was hospitalized for 15 days. My children were busy with their work at that time, and my youngest child was still studying. Not wanting to worry them unduly, my wife only told our eldest daughter about my condition, keeping it a secret from the rest.

Then came end October 1998, when I had to undergo chemotherapy for 6 months. The side effects were terrible. I experienced hair loss, a lot of eye gum every morning, which made it difficult to open my eyes, piles, lethargy and extreme discomfort all over.

My destiny with Tian Xian Liquid

It so happened that my eldest daughter read about TXL in Asia Weekly around that time. She learnt that TXL could diminish chemotherapy side effects, alleviate cancer suffering and even improve prognosis. I was not fully aware of my own condition at that time, unaware that the shot given by the doctor would cause so much harm to my body. When I began taking TXL, I thought the side effects were due to TXL, but my daughter reassured me that it would reduce the side effects instead and pushed me to keep taking it. After taking TXL and Tian Xian pill no. 3 at some time, the chemotherapy side effects subsided tremendously. There was no more diarrhea and vomiting, so I skipped the anti-emetic. Puzzled, the doctor asked me whether I had been taking some other medicine. I told him honestly about TXL.

At Ease with Cancer

I was quite energetic in the 6-month period of chemotherapy. I didn’t stay at home all the time but went out to have tea with friends as usual. I was completely bald at that time, yet I did not bother to wear a hat. When asked with concern, I always told my friends I had colon cancer. I didn’t hide the truth, and never grumbled or wallowed in self-pity because I knew that would not do me or my family any good. I had to face the truth and just let it be. The doctor told me I could eat anything but my beloved wife, worrying that outside food might be harmful to me, prepared health-promoting home-cooked food for me.

After the 6-month chemotherapy, hospital examination report revealed that my body was completely free of cancer cells. All my friends and relatives were surprised to find that instead of being feeble, I was quite energetic. In order to avoid a relapse, each of my 3 working children chipped in RM1000 to buy TXL for me, so I was able to continue enjoying it for years. My body was properly nourished and medical examination found me to be healthy and normal. A lot of friends introduced numerous direct selling products to me, but I always insisted on TXL only. Nowadays my wife and I are recommending TXL to friends who have cancer, when the occasion arises. We hope it could help more cancer patients.

Grateful to My Wife’s Loving Care and Support

I’m thankful to my wife for her support and loving care. A staunch Buddhist who does a lot of voluntary work, she is a very good wife and a good mother. When I was undergoing cancer therapy, she always reminded me that life was transient and that we should face the atrocity and let it be so that our friends and relatives could help us. She reminded me that there were other people who were worse off. I discovered later that she had been crying rivers behind everyone’s back. She said it would be better for her to suffer alone instead of everyone else. I asked her how she had got over those difficult times, and she replied that sleep would always recharge her. If slumber was elusive she would just cry herself to sleep. Then I realized that I was just the patient who slept when feeling tired, and the one who suffered the most was my beloved wife.

Time flies and 12 years have flown by. During this time, I have seen some friends died of cancer. I am so grateful that I survived the ordeal. In retrospect, I can’t help but feel extremely lucky. I dared not think of the outcome if my daughter had not read about TXL, or if we had not believed in and insisted on it, or if my wife had not taken care of me, I have been leading a carefree life after the recovery, doing what I like, unaffected by past shadows. I like to do voluntary work and help others. I have been a voluntary worker at Teochew Association and Segamat Chinese Dialysis Centre for 15 years. When I contribute to others all sincerity, I tend to forget about my own suffering. I believe that doing good to others always brings good karma.

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