What does it take to change a person’s mindset, so they take charge of their health and develop healthy habits like eating a balanced diet and getting active?
For Mr Yao Chin Leng, two cancer diagnoses prompted him to make changes for the better.
A shocking diagnosis at retirement
In 2019, Mr Yao was 54 years old and ready for retirement. By his own admission, he had been “stressed out” and did not have a healthy lifestyle working as a prisons officer.
Mr Yao was a prisons officer before his retirement
Wanting to be fit to enjoy retirement, he quit smoking in August before his end of service Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) in October. However, before Mr Yao could even do his IPPT, a CT scan of his heart that was part of a pre-test health screening showed a concerning shadow near his lungs. He was referred to a lung specialist who ordered another CT scan and a biopsy, which confirmed a Stage 1B lung cancer diagnosis.
“I had no symptoms! I was shocked and sad to be diagnosed with lung cancer just before I was due to retire and enjoy life,” said Mr Yao.
Surgery and follow-up
In November 2019, Mr Yao consulted with the care team at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and was given two options; surgery to remove the tumour or radiotherapy to shrink it.
Mr Yao chose surgery, In January 2020, he underwent a surgical procedure that removed 25% of his left lung. Both the mass in his lung and cancer cells were successfully removed.
In the first year after his surgery, Mr Yao saw his oncologist for regular scans and blood test.
“I didn’t understand why the follow-ups were needed, because I felt fine,” shared Mr Yao.
Unfortunately, one of the follow-up scans a year and half later showed the presence of an enlarged lymph node in his lungs. A biopsy confirmed that the cancer had recurred.
Understanding how disease develops
To help him better understand the relapse, his doctors at NCCS explained how cancer forms in the body. An uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lungs can lead to disease. Stress and lifestyle can increase the risk of cancer, but a person could mitigate some of those risks by making healthier choices.
Armed with that information, Mr Yao decided to take ownership of his own health. He stopped drinking alcohol, got adequate rest every day, ate a balanced diet and exercised regularly – sometimes even doing two workout sessions a day!
Mr Yao makes sure to keep active and sometimes does two workouts a day!
Mr Yao also started to prioritise his mental health and tried to keep his stress levels to a minimum.
Treatment again and participating in research
To treat the cancer recurrence, Mr Yao was put on a course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy from September to November 2021. In addition to treatment, he enrolled in a clinical study. While his participation did not impact treatment, it allowed a research team to monitor his progress through blood collection and lung scans, to better understand how lung cancer responds to treatment.
“I’m happy to participate in clinical studies so that I can contribute to the field of research and potentially help other patients in the future,” said Mr Yao.
Living in the now
Today, Mr Yao has completed the course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and receives immunotherapy treatment to manage his cancer.
While what he went through was not easy, he counts himself lucky.
“I’m fortunate to have gone through early screening that caught the cancer when it was at an early stage,” said Mr Yao. “Only when I relapsed did I understand the impact my lifestyle had on my health and changed my mindset.”
Nowadays, Mr Yao advises all his friends to be happy and encourages them to exercise with him. While he accepts the possibility of a relapse, he chooses not to dwell on it and focuses instead on living happily and healthily, in the moment.
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