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He wrote his will at 39. Kidney cancer survivor Cayden Chang reveals how his illness changed his life.
"Tears came to my eyes as I realised how fragile and precious life is.”
Mr Cayden Chang had everything going for him — a wife and a three-year-old daughter, and he had just co-written his first book. Then in July, the 39-year-old found out he had a tumour in his left kidney. Overnight, he went from planning his book launch to writing his will, while he waited for the results of a scan to see if the cancer had spread.
“The two-week wait was a test of my mind. I kept thinking, what if the cancer had spread? How can I plan for my family’s future?” recalled the neurolinguistic programming trainer, who is married to a systems analyst. She is 33. He went over his insurance policies and lapsed into deep self-reflection.
“Once, I asked my wife how she would feel if I had only five minutes to live,” he said. “Tears came to my eyes as I realised how fragile and precious life is.” Fortunately, the scans showed that the cancer had not spread.
Blood in the urine
His ordeal began in early July when he spotted blood in his urine – a sight that resembled “concentrated Ribena”, he said, referring to the popular blackcurrant drink. He said he had an X-ray but was given the all-clear when both kidneys were seen to be normal. As the blood in his urine had cleared by then, it was thought that he simply had a urinary tract infection.
However, two weeks later, a sharp pain erupted on Mr Chang’s right side, sending him to Singapore General Hospital for help. An ultrasound scan showed a stone in the right kidney. The doctor also scanned the left kidney. That was when the cancerous tumour was detected.
The tumour had swelled the kidney, making it 50 per cent larger
“I really have to thank this doctor for being so kiasu,” said Mr Chang, using the Hokkien term which means afraid to lose. “If he hadn’t gone one step further to scan the left kidney, the cancer would have gone undetected.” A review of the X-ray scans showed that his left kidney was abnormal. Not only was it larger than the other, it was also misshapen, without the typical bean-shaped structure of a normal kidney. The tumour had swelled the kidney, making it 50 per cent larger than its normal size.
After that, Mr Chang had an agonising two-week wait for his scan results concerned that if the cancerous cells had spread to his chest cavity and bones, he may have only months to live. Although a cloud hung over him, he presented a brave front to his friends and colleagues. “I worked as usual. I was even interviewed by The Straits Times for my new book,” he said. “Nobody else but my wife and parents-in-law knew about the cancer.”
Mr Chang is the co-author of Do You Have What It Takes To Be Boss, with profits donated to The Straits Times Pocket Money Fund. His parents have died and he has three older brothers.
The operation last month to remove his left kidney left him with a 20cm wound across his stomach held together by 23 metal staples. It has yet to heal fully and still hurts.
But the scar is not the only thing he gained from this experience. For one thing, Mr Chang picked up healthier eating habits. He now eats salads – which he never did before – to keep his remaining kidney in tip-top shape. He has also learnt to savour the little moments in life. “I learnt to appreciate my family more and to observe even the smallest of things, like my daughter’s smile when I play with her,” he said.
Ref: V10 |