FIGHTING CANCER

By the age of sixteen I had become the assistant of a veterinarian who was well versed in herbal medicine. I began to learn acupuncture and moxibustion, and I was quite certain about my future hopes and dreams. I hoped that, in addition to Chinese prescriptions, acupuncture and moxibustion might also be of help to my fellow villagers. About that time, the president of the Health Bureau of the Chinese People’s Commune heard of my activities, noting that "there seems to be a good young person in Gong Yi village who is very diligent in his studies." I then began my first step as a physician as an intern. As such, I learned not only Dong Liu medicine (or Chinese Medicine, Sino-medicine or Chinese prescriptions) but also western medical science. Sometime later, a medical school (Jilin province Tong Hua City Health School) was set up in Tong Hua City. I was admitted to this school under the premise of serving as a physician in my village.

The course of study lasted two years. The first year passed as quickly as the blink of an eye. I strove hard to learn, hoping to become a physician and serve my people at the soonest possible time. It was during this period that the incident involving the girl whose mother was dying of cancer occurred. After witnessing the sad separation of mother and daughter in October 1972, I made up my mind.

Had I had the benefit of more advanced education in my younger years, I probably might not have thought of such a ridiculous undertaking. It was purely because I did not realize the horror and persistence of cancer that I had the courage to challenge it and attempt to combat it so bravely. If I had known that there are over thirty million people in the world suffering from cancer, and that every year nearly seven million people die from it – or one person every six seconds – I would never have boldly set our to defeat cancer.