The Strength to Stand Up Again After Hitting Rock Bottom With Cancer
By: Ms. Shu-Ching Lee
In early 2014, my husband and I were living in Hong Kong because of work. I had a steady routine, paid attention to healthy living, and honestly thought of myself as someone in good health. But that spring, I began experiencing changes in my bowel habits. I often felt the urge to have a bowel movement but could not, and sometimes there was bleeding. Because I had dealt with hemorrhoids in the past, I did not take it seriously and kept putting off seeing a doctor.
Everything changed one day when the abdominal pain became unbearable. I went to see a family physician. After hearing my symptoms, the doctor was immediately concerned and referred me straight to the emergency department. I was admitted to the hospital and scheduled for a colonoscopy. That night, after taking the bowel prep laxatives, I developed severe bloating and intense pain. The test results later showed a tumor about 5 centimeters in size inside my intestine, blocking nearly 90% of the bowel. Further testing confirmed colon cancer, and it had already spread to my liver. It was Stage IV.
The diagnosis was a shock to me and my family. The medical team quickly arranged surgery and follow-up chemotherapy, and I completed eight rounds of treatment. During chemotherapy, I was extremely weak and dealt with side effects like nausea and fatigue, but with the support of the physicians and nursing team, I made it through that first phase of treatment.
Then, in mid-2015, during routine follow-up, my tumor markers were found to be abnormally high. At first, I could not believe it, but the number kept rising until it reached 20. Eventually, it became clear the cancer had returned, concentrated in the right lobe of my liver. Because of the tumor’s location, two surgeons in Hong Kong felt minimally invasive surgery was not possible. They recommended a major open operation with an incision expected to be about 15 centimeters, plus 13 inpatient chemotherapy treatments. Around the same time, my husband had just changed jobs, and his new employer’s insurance did not cover pre-existing conditions. The financial pressure of that much treatment felt overwhelming.
While I was stuck in that painful uncertainty, my family in Taiwan called with urgent news: my mother had been admitted to the ICU with a lung infection. I flew back to Taiwan on short notice to see her. I also brought my full medical records with me, hoping to explore any other treatment possibilities.
At that time, my first choice was Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center (KFSYSCC). After a thorough evaluation, Dr. Chung-Wei Lin told me that the surgery would be challenging, but he believed it could be handled using a minimally invasive approach. I felt an enormous sense of relief and decided to stay in Taiwan for surgery.
On the day of surgery, I walked into the operating room with a calm heart. With the help of the da Vinci robotic surgical system, the procedure was completed successfully through only six keyhole-sized incisions, with blood loss of about 150 cc. I was discharged on the third day after surgery. Compared with the open surgery that had been expected in Hong Kong, my recovery was much faster, and my quality of life was not severely disrupted.
Looking back, the journey was never easy, but I came to deeply appreciate how much modern medicine has advanced, and how much it matters to have a professional team that works with skill, coordination, and steady support. I am grateful to Dr. Lin and the KFSYSCC team for their careful and grounded care. At a critical moment of recurrence, they gave me options, and they treated me with dignity.
It has now been more than ten years since I was first diagnosed. The fight has been long and exhausting, but it has not been hopeless. Early detection, facing the situation directly, strong inner conviction, and professional medical support truly can help patients reclaim health and hope.
In the end, I want to thank the Lord from the bottom of my heart. As a devoted Christian, I believe that every opportunity and every peaceful turning point along this road has been carried by God’s loving care. In my most helpless moments, I witnessed what felt like a medical miracle and received spiritual comfort and strength. I thank the Lord for guiding and protecting me, bringing me through this storm of life, and allowing me to share this story and hope with others who are still walking the cancer journey.