KUCHING: Dr Tiong Hung Sung who is a medical officer currently practising at Kapit Hospital was only eight-years-old when he first found out that he had been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).
According to the Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS), ALL is a blood cancer which has to do with a lack of healthy blood cells in the body.
It said for a full year, the young Tiong had to stay at the hospital to undergo treatment, only completing his final treatment after two years.
“Despite having to overcome the pain, Tiong’s biggest challenge was seeing his family move from Sibu to Kuching, away from their home, work duties and community so as to meet his treatment demands.
“The collective optimism and encouragement from his family, friends, medical staff, and support system were what kept him going.
He is forever grateful to them and as of 2022, Dr Tiong has survived childhood cancer for 20 years,” the society said in a social media post on yesterday (June 3).
Dr Tiong, meanwhile, pointed out that while people do not say it enough, life will return to normalcy after one conquers cancer.
Recalling his journey, he said he went back to school at the age of 10 and just like any other child, he studied and had fun participating in co-curricular activities.
Dr Tiong said sometimes people will ask him about the scars on his hands due to chemotherapy extravasation, however he does not feel ashamed to share his journey with them
“Because you never know if there are people experiencing a similar condition and my story may encourage them to keep on fighting,” he said.
