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ren suan bu ru tian suan
The news that shook her world
By: Poon Chian Hui
Ms Grace Cheng's world turned upside down in January when she found out that she had thyroid cancer. The 28-year-old technopreneur and first-time book author who founded Dailymarkets.com, a financial news and opinions website, discovered a lump on the right side of her neck last November.
Then, she had just returned to Singapore after a year-long trip around the world with her husband, Mr Pedro Pla, 27, an IT consultant.
'I thought that it might be a swollen lymph node,' said Ms Cheng, who is also a forex trader. 'I was feeling energetic from the trip and completely normal; there were no signs to suggest that there was a problem with my health.'
As the lump was painless, she did not think too much about it. However, it grew bigger over the next month and she decided to consult a general practitioner (GP) in January.
What followed was a whirlwind two weeks. On her GP's instructions, she went to a radiology clinic for an ultrasound scan. She returned to the GP a few days later with the results of the scan and was promptly referred to Raffles Hospital.
The following day, she had a biopsy done at the hospital. Two days later, the results were out - she had papillary thyroid cancer.
Papillary tumours are the most common type of thyroid cancer. This cancer typically affects people between 20 and 50 years old and occurs more in females than males.
'I was devastated to hear that I had cancer,' she said. The shock was even more acute considering that she had everything going for her at that time.
'My website was less than a year old, my book on forex trading was selling well on the Amazon website and my husband and I were putting finishing touches to our new condominium home,' she said.
'I couldn't help thinking that I was just buying lights the week before without knowing about the poison inside of me.'
Mr Pla, who was there with his wife when the doctor broke the news, was equally taken aback.
'It was a big shock that she had cancer at her age,' said Mr Pla, who is Spanish. 'Plus, she has always been very conscious of her health.'
Ms Cheng, who confesses to be a hypochrondriac, has had annual medical check-ups since her early 20s.
During the anxious two-day wait for her test results, she researched thyroid cancer thoroughly in a bid to banish the rising uncertainty.
'The uncertainty created havoc in me; I couldn't sleep,' she said. 'I felt strangely relieved when I got the results. Although it confirmed that something was wrong with me, at least I knew what it was.'
The good news was that papillary thyroid cancer can be treated by surgically removing the thyroid gland.
Although she spent Chinese New Year in hospital for the surgery, she was glad to be rid of the cancer.
Because her entire thyroid gland was removed, she will have to take hormone pills for the rest of her life. She also requires two sessions of radioactive iodine treatment to erase any remnants of cancer cells.
The first round was in March and the second will be in September. That is a small inconvenience for overcoming the disease. The experience has given her a renewed zest for life.
'It has made me more determined to be happy and not to sweat the small stuff,' said
Ms Cheng, who is already looking forward to building her business and travelling abroad once more.
ren suan bu ru tian suan
The news that shook her world
By: Poon Chian Hui
Ms Grace Cheng's world turned upside down in January when she found out that she had thyroid cancer. The 28-year-old technopreneur and first-time book author who founded Dailymarkets.com, a financial news and opinions website, discovered a lump on the right side of her neck last November.
Then, she had just returned to Singapore after a year-long trip around the world with her husband, Mr Pedro Pla, 27, an IT consultant.
'I thought that it might be a swollen lymph node,' said Ms Cheng, who is also a forex trader. 'I was feeling energetic from the trip and completely normal; there were no signs to suggest that there was a problem with my health.'
As the lump was painless, she did not think too much about it. However, it grew bigger over the next month and she decided to consult a general practitioner (GP) in January.
What followed was a whirlwind two weeks. On her GP's instructions, she went to a radiology clinic for an ultrasound scan. She returned to the GP a few days later with the results of the scan and was promptly referred to Raffles Hospital.
The following day, she had a biopsy done at the hospital. Two days later, the results were out - she had papillary thyroid cancer.
Papillary tumours are the most common type of thyroid cancer. This cancer typically affects people between 20 and 50 years old and occurs more in females than males.
'I was devastated to hear that I had cancer,' she said. The shock was even more acute considering that she had everything going for her at that time.
'My website was less than a year old, my book on forex trading was selling well on the Amazon website and my husband and I were putting finishing touches to our new condominium home,' she said.
'I couldn't help thinking that I was just buying lights the week before without knowing about the poison inside of me.'
Mr Pla, who was there with his wife when the doctor broke the news, was equally taken aback.
'It was a big shock that she had cancer at her age,' said Mr Pla, who is Spanish. 'Plus, she has always been very conscious of her health.'
Ms Cheng, who confesses to be a hypochrondriac, has had annual medical check-ups since her early 20s.
During the anxious two-day wait for her test results, she researched thyroid cancer thoroughly in a bid to banish the rising uncertainty.
'The uncertainty created havoc in me; I couldn't sleep,' she said. 'I felt strangely relieved when I got the results. Although it confirmed that something was wrong with me, at least I knew what it was.'
The good news was that papillary thyroid cancer can be treated by surgically removing the thyroid gland.
Although she spent Chinese New Year in hospital for the surgery, she was glad to be rid of the cancer.
Because her entire thyroid gland was removed, she will have to take hormone pills for the rest of her life. She also requires two sessions of radioactive iodine treatment to erase any remnants of cancer cells.
The first round was in March and the second will be in September. That is a small inconvenience for overcoming the disease. The experience has given her a renewed zest for life.
'It has made me more determined to be happy and not to sweat the small stuff,' said
Ms Cheng, who is already looking forward to building her business and travelling abroad once more.
