Interview With A Lung Cancer Patient

Tinos Sim is a stage 2 lung cancer patient. He is 44 years old, single, and an only child who lives with his parents. He spoke with Three Points Cancer Coach on 3 June 2022 to share his story.

First encounter with cancer
In August 2021, Tinos felt bloated and experienced chest pain. A month later, he coughed up blood. He went to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for an X-ray, which showed two tumours the size of a 50-cent coin. The doctor told him that he had stage 2 lung cancer.

“I felt depressed and hopeless. I thought that since there was no cure, it was better just to die. But then, I asked myself who would take care of my parents if I die.”

At first, he felt depressed and without hope. He thought there was no cure, and that it was better to just accept it and let himself die. Then he thought about his parents. As an only child, he was their sole source of financial support.

He cried about his situation often. One day, his mother saw him crying and asked what was wrong. Only then did he tell her, and they both cried together. But he still could not bring himself to tell his father until two months later.

“I felt terrible. I had big mood swings, and did not feel like doing anything. I did not know what to do.”

In the weeks following his diagnosis, he felt terrible. Depression and lethargy set in, and he did not do anything about his situation. A close friend stepped in and told him that he had to take the first step to seek treatment to get better.

In December that year, he started electrochemical therapy treatment. After 7–8 rounds of this, he started experiencing side effects. He lost his appetite and energy, and developed headaches and skin rash. He will be going back to the hospital next month for an X-ray to see how effective these treatments were.

Struggles along the way
To make things worse, Tinos did not have insurance to help defray the costs. Each treatment cost SGD400. His MediSave could not cover the costs and he had to use cash. The situation was exacerbated by not having an income as he had quit his job to fight the cancer.

“It was a very difficult period for me financially. I had quit my job to go through the treatments. So I had no income and still had to pay for the treatments.”

At the same time, his parents continued to depend on him for financial support. His mum had a leg infection two months ago, and his dad has diabetes and high blood pressure.

His parents had to adjust their lifestyle to reduce expenses. They started to eat less, especially of their favourite Thai dessert. Instead of buying this every day like they used to, they only treat themselves to this once a week.

Fortunately, he had two very good friends who were there for him. One of them offered to accompany his parents for their medical appointments when he could not make it. Another offered financial help.

“I could talk to both of them any time I felt upset and lost the will to live. They really helped me make it through.”

He also had help from his Member of Parliament (MP) Tharman Shanmugaratnam, after one of his friends wrote to the MP on his behalf. The MP visited him to ask what help he needed. Since then, his family has had canned food and rice delivered to them 1–2 times per week.

Lessons Learnt
Tinos’ hope is that others will learn from his experience, and avoid behaviours that increase the risk of lung cancer.

Since the age of 18, when he was in National Service, he had been a casual smoker. At most, he would smoke 2–3 sticks of cigarettes a day. It took him two weeks to finish one pack of 20 sticks. Only slightly over six years ago, he became a heavy smoker. This was because he got a job as a bartender at a KTV lounge, where the lifestyle was to drink and smoke.

After his shift ended at 3am, he and his colleagues would stay on until 5–6am, about 3–4 times a week. Since the drinks were free for employees, they drank a lot, which meant that they smoked a lot as well. At this point, he was going through one pack (20 sticks) a day.

“Drinks were free for us employees. So we drank a lot, and also smoked a lot. That’s why they say that alcohol and cigarettes are brother and sister.”

His parents, especially his father, had been nagging at him to quit smoking since he picked up the habit during his army days. But Tinos had brushed these warnings aside.

When he got lung cancer, he decided to quit smoking immediately. It took him two weeks. The first week, he cut down to ten sticks a day. Then the second week, he cut down even more to five sticks a day. After that, he stopped completely.

“It is easy to start drinking and smoking when others around you are doing the same. It is enjoyable, and becomes a lifestyle that is hard to change.”

His advice to others is not to get involved in the night life. He urges people to follow a healthy lifestyle, maintain work–life balance, and mix with cheerful people. Also, he advises avoiding too much overtime work and cutting down on bad habits like smoking.

Today, Tinos has completely quit smoking, and is actively seeking treatment. He is glad that his cancer was discovered early, and is hopeful for the future.

“I don’t cough blood any more. I am able to work again, and can still take care of my parents. Everything worked out, and I feel happy now.”

If you or someone you know are going through lung cancer now, do ask them to reach out for help.