Ewe Jin’s story
On Monday, Oct 30, 2006, after taking a friend to see my oncologist for a second opinion, Dr Gurcharan Singh checked on a lump on my neck that had been bothering me for the past two weeks.
The week before, my ENT doctor, Dr Awal Hassan, had examined it and concluded that clinically, it was okay, but noted that only a full-fledged scan could give a conclusive result. My oncologist wanted me to do an MRI which I did the following day.
The MRI and ultrasound revealed a firm mass 2cm by 2cm. In the case of an infection, the mass would be more diffused rather than firm, the doctors explained.
My oncologist then said the lump is a 50-50 indication of cancer (because of my prior history) and before proceeding, he would like to discount the possibility. I did a bone scan, a CT scan for the lungs and a CT scan for the liver and kidneys.
It was a long process, reminding me of April 1999. My wife was with me all the time, of course, and we were indeed comforted by all the calls 3 and SMSes as we waited to do the procedures and see the doctors.
My onco, after analysing all the results, declared that “this is the best possible news” as there were no signs whatsoever of any cancer activity in any part of the body. The lump, however, has to be removed. On Nov 15, Dr Awal undertook the surgery jointly with an expert head/neck surgeon from Tawakal Hospital, Dr Solahuddin Kenali. (Both Dr Gurcharan and Dr Awal have been taking care of me since my first journey.)
The plan was to open up the neck, make a quick cut and send a sample to the pathologist for immediate examination. If there was no trace of cancer activity there, the operation would be simple and they would just remove the mass and close me up. If there was any sign of cancer cells, they would probe deeper and remove adjoining nodes and tissue.
The operation was expected to last for about 3 hours. As I had never been in an operation involving GA before, I was rather apprehensive but I knew God was with me all the time and He would see me through.
The anaesthesiologist, Dr Ibtisan Ibrahim, came by in the evening to prepare me for the operation. I told her to please be extra careful and make sure I wake up. She smiled and her demeanour put me very much at ease. She told me to take some tablets before bedtime so I could have a good night’s sleep.
Early the next morning, I was wheeled into the operating theatre. I was happy to see Dr Awal, and he told me not to worry. I heard the nurses saying, “He looks like Dr. Tong.” I have heard that remark before. Apparently Dr. Sebestian Tong, the resident general & colorectal surgeon at Damansara, looks like me. I told myself I should say hello to him after I recovered from surgery.
We were ready. Dr Ibtisan looked at me and said she was about to administer the gas. Count to 10, she said. I counted 1…. and I was off to dreamland. The next thing I found myself being awakened. “Mr Soo, can you hear us?” My instant reply was, “Am I still alive?”
Angeline’s story
Nov 15 2006: After getting all the clear scans two weeks ago, I was expecting Ewe Jin’s biopsy to be clear, too. But it was not to be. When I was told by the OT nurse during the operation on Wednesday that the lump was malignant, it gave me quite a jolt. I had presumed it would be benign. And so what was to have been a 3 hour operation stretched to 7 hours.
(As an aside, the surgeon called me over midway through stitching Ewe Jin up to show me the tissue wrapped in a plastic bag, because the nurse had informed him that “the wife is anxious to see the specimen”. I had said no such thing, of course, having asked only for the biopsy result. Anyway, 5 the tissue was palm-sized and looked like a piece of liver.)
I didn’t have time to pause and think in the busy-ness of the next two days. But on Friday morning, I finally realised the significance of the malignant lump. It actually indicated how close Ewe Jin and I came to a bigger battle.
It meant that there were already cancer cells just waiting to spread, but I believe a Divine Hand contained the cancer and kept it from getting to the bones, lungs, liver and elsewhere. And of course the timing was simply perfect. Our gracious Heavenly Father has spared Ewe Jin and me a much, much harder journey and we are ever grateful.
The surgeon has told us that they will do a biopsy of the tissue that was removed. If the margins of the tissue are clear, then most likely there will be no need for further treatment. But if malignant cells are present in the margins, the oncologist will decide on the next course of action.
We were schedule to see the ENT on Nov 22 to get the full biopsy result. The prayers, encouraging SMSes, gifts in cash and kind, offers to cook, and presence of family and friends, were a comfort to us. Through it all, we had God’s peace.
We saw up close and first-hand how wonderfully He provides for his children – and we are awed.
Soo Ewe Jin’s journey with the Big C which began in April 1999 came to a happy conclusion five years later when doctors declared him in complete remission.
The story of his first journey was told through this little book which has gone through three editions in English and an edition in Chinese. A total of 12,000 copies has so far been distributed free to various cancer wards and support institutions over the years.
Just after the last edition was launched sometime in late 2006, his life took on another turn when doctors discovered a malignant lump on the right side of his neck. He had to undergo an operation, followed by chemotherapy.
In this latest edition of Face to Face with Cancer, Ewe Jin and his wife, Angeline, once again chronicle their journey with the hope that their story will serve as an encouragement to others and bring glory to God.
In putting together this edition, we had to struggle with what to retain from the earlier editions.
We decided to keep our journal of the first journey in its original context. In a way, this is like a journey back in time. We hope those who were not aware of our first journey will also be encouraged by this sharing.
One section we had to remove was that on our published writings. After officially becoming a cancer survivor, Ewe Jin wrote a number of features about cancer, and also many heart-and soul columns that he felt would encourage others in similar journeys.
Due to pressure on space and the fact that more people are now connected to the Internet, these articles, although not in this print edition, can still be read online through our website at www.geocities.com/ejsoo.
About The Authors
Soo Ewe Jin and Angeline Lim have been journalists for most of their working lives.
They have, however, taken breaks from their careers to be full-time homemakers.
Ewe Jin’s career in The Star from 2000 until now has seen him serve in various positions: as Star Online Editor, Sunday Star Editor, Special Projects Editor and his current designation as Deputy Executive Editor.
He has also previously worked in The National Echo, The Malay Mail, ISIS Malaysia, WWF Malaysia and The Edge.
Angeline, after leaving The Star in 2001, is a full-time homemaker and serves on a voluntary basis at Emmanuel Care Centre, a school for children with learning disabilities, run by their church.
Although trained as a teacher, she worked as a journalist in Malaysian Business and The Edge before joining The Star.
The Soos together have chalked up more than 16 years being full-time homemakers. They have two sons, Kevin, 21, and Timothy, 18.
Serialised from Face to Face with Cancer : Two Journeys… God Always Present by Soo Ewe Jin and Angeline Lim (ISBN 983-40916-0-5). Republished with permission.
April 29th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Hi I am trying to request or to be able to download th e-book version of their book but the website http://www.geocities.com/ejsoo is no longer available. Could you let me know if there is an alternative website?
May 3rd, 2010 at 8:44 am
YG Mah, can you send me your email to contactsivin@gmail.com and I will link you up with the author.