Why Early Detection Matters

It has been exactly one year since my thoracic surgery.

What started as a simple CT scan turned into the discovery of a 0.6cm nodule in my upper right lung.

Nobody knew it was lung cancer. I only found out when I woke up in ICU with 20% of my right lung removed.

I will never forget opening my eyes.

Everything was blurry. Bright lights. Machines. My surgeon leaning over me saying,
“You’re fine.”
“Carcinoma in situ.”
“Stage 0.”

I was confused. In pain. Disoriented. Every breath felt like knives against my ribs. I barely dared to inhale because it hurt so much.

I remember feeling small. Terrified. Wounded.

The Ordeal No One Sees

People see the word “stage 0” and think: lucky. And yes, I was. But the process was still brutal.

ICU. Drain tubes. Nurses adjusting machines. Pain so intense I couldn’t shift my body on my own.

For four days I was bedridden before a physiotherapist came to help me stand and walk again.

The first few steps felt like learning how to exist inside my body all over again. I don’t think people realise how vulnerable you become when your body stops cooperating.

Gratitude

What got me through that period was the love & support of my friends and then-bosses.

Every message. Every visit. Every small act of care. I will never forget that.

But this time, I also want to thank myself. Because I stayed calm. Not once did I ask, “Why me?”

Instead, I kept thinking: Thank God we found it early. Thank God I decided to remove it. Because it could have gone undetected and progressed quietly.

That perspective carried me.

Recovery Was Not Linear

Physically, it took five months before I could resume light sports. I started with brisk walking. Then slow jogging. Eventually, I returned to climbing.

In the process, I gained back the weight I had worked hard to lose before surgery which was disheartening. But one of the biggest lessons this illness taught me was patience.

Sometimes you rebuild from scratch & that’s okay.

Till today, I still get sharp pains near the surgical area. I still use an inhaler daily. Some days my chest feels tight and I can’t draw in a full breath. Pressure on that area still makes me wince.

It made me realised that healing doesn’t mean returning to who you were before. It means learning to live differently.

Why I’m Sharing This

I hesitated to write this in long form. But there are a few things I don’t want to keep quiet about.

1. I Don’t Want to Forget

This experience changed me. Everything happened so fast that I didn’t fully process it at the time. I moved from scan to surgery in what felt like weeks.

Only later did I realise how close things could have gone differently. Writing this is my way of honouring that season.

2. If You Smoke.. Please Stop

I used to smoke & grew up in a second-hand smoke household. And yes, I regret it.

Even if we think we’re invincible in our twenties, our bodies keep score.

For non-smokers: second-hand smoke, air pollution, synthetic fragrances, processed foods… these things add up. We cannot control everything, but we can control some things.

Be conscious. Your lungs are not replaceable.

3. Get Your Health Checks Done

The older you are, the more health problems will surface. Do not avoid getting your checks done just because..

‘I don’t think this will happen to me la’..

Or

‘I don’t want to check. Later check already, got cancer how? Better don’t check, later sia suay’.

Can I tell you something?

If you love your family & friends, you don’t sia suay and get yourself checked. You bring pain and heartache to those who love you when you are unhealthy & dying. Is that the kind of thing you want your loved ones to experience?

4. Get Insurance

My total medical bills were around $65,000. I paid nothing out of pocket because I had coverage.

I started paying my premiums in my early twenties. Insurance feels unnecessary when you’re young and healthy.

Until it isn’t.

Financial stress on top of illness is something you do not want to experience.

Google the statistics & facts about Cancer. Or you can read it here: https://smartwealth.sg/cancer-statistics-singapore/ Chances of you getting is 1 in 4 people.

The Bigger Realisation

The most uncomfortable truth this experience gave me is this: Life is short. After 21, time accelerates. In your 30s, it flies. Before you know it, decades pass.

We hustle. We adult. We chase stability. And sometimes we forget to live.

Nobody is thinking about you as much as you think they are. Everyone is carrying their own battles. So stop living based on other people’s expectations.

They are not living your life. You are.

Be present. Look up from your phone. Notice the sky. The air. The people sitting across from you.

Because the moment you’re in right now will never come back in the same way.

Let me just end off with 2 excerpts here from one of my favourite books titled ‘The Untethered Soul’ – Michael A. Singer’

“The most important thing in life is your inner energy. If you’re always tired and never enthused, then life is no fun. But if you’re always inspired and filled with energy, then every minute of every day is an exciting experience. Learn to work with these things. Through meditation, through awareness and willful efforts, you can learn to keep your centers open. You do this by just relaxing and releasing. You do this by not buying into the concept that there is anything worth closing over. Remember, if you love life, nothing is worth closing over.” “What if you knew that the next person you’d see would be the last person you would ever see? You’d be right there soaking it in, experiencing it. It wouldn’t matter what they were saying; you’d just enjoy hearing the words because it would be the last conversation you’d ever have. What if you brought that kind of awareness to every conversation? That’s what happens when you’re told that death is around the corner: you change, life doesn’t change.”

When you come face to face with mortality, you don’t become dramatic. You become aware. You realise life doesn’t change.

You change.

If this story does anything, I hope it does this:

Remind you to take care of your body.
Remind you to take responsibility for your health.
Remind you not to postpone living.

Because breath is ordinary. Until it isn’t.