Being diagnosed with liver cancer was bad enough, but as he was fighting for recovery, Mohd Salleh Yusof was struck by lung cancer as well. Determined to enjoy life to the fullest, Salleh shares his experience with HealthToday.
The start of a journey
In July 2012, I had a mild fever. The doctor suspected that I had dengue but we later found out that was not the case.
An ultrasound scan and a computed tomography (CT) scan showed a tumour on my liver. From a tumour marker test, it was suspected to be cancerous. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed the tumour size and location. After the MRI, a gastroscopy was done to confirm that the root cause of the tumour is the liver. The doctor decided to do an operation immediately.
When my doctor told me I had liver cancer, I couldn’t accept it. I kept asking myself, “Why me?” I felt really down at that time; my wife and I would cry. I didn’t know what to do. I wondered if I would see my children graduate.
I called my mother and gently broke the news to her. I told her that the doctor planned to operate on me. My mother said I should follow the doctor’s instructions, asked me not to worry and said she would pray for me. Because of the strong support from my mother, wife, children and brothers, I decided to go for the operation.
Everything happened quickly – in the first week, I was told that the tumour was cancerous. In the second week, I underwent the operation. By the third week, I was discharged from the hospital. The operation was in mid-July, which is just two weeks after my birthday. I turned 50 on July 1, 2012, and I had planned to celebrate my birthday with my family. Instead, I had the tumour and part of my liver removed.
This story is from the October 2017 edition of Health Today Malaysia.
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This story is from the October 2017 edition of Health Today Malaysia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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