Sister Sunshine: Life Should Not Lose Its Color Because of Illness | Patient Story

Over ten years, Sister Sunshine has faced cancer twice, experienced two metastases, undergone five surgeries, and endured countless chemotherapy sessions. For her, illness has seemingly become a part of life.

Yet, life must not lose its color because of sickness.

————— Author | Kaiyang Editor | Wujiu

"I've always had a weak constitution and been a 'frequent visitor' to hospitals," Sister Sunshine says, describing her life as "full of hardships." "Even the day before my wedding, I was in a car accident and needed 11 stitches on my head."

This was not the first time Sister Sunshine had brushed with death.

During pregnancy, she was rushed to the hospital due to a ruptured corpus luteum. Suffering from severe hemorrhage, she fell into a coma on the way. "I felt like I was floating in a red tunnel, as if my heart had left my body, drifting in the air, endlessly," she recalls.

"I never expected to get cancer later." In January 2018, Sister Sunshine was admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology due to hematochezia and abdominal pain.

Initially thinking it was just a "rectal ulcer," she didn't take this "minor illness" too seriously, only wondering why surgery to remove part of the intestine was needed for an ulcer.

"It wasn't until half a year later, when I was looking through reimbursement forms, that I found out I had rectal cancer." Seeing the shocking "Rectal CA" on the report, Sister Sunshine felt dazed, finally realizing that the "minor surgery" she thought she had was actually tumor removal.

Fearing she couldn't handle it, her husband conspired with everyone around her to conceal the diagnosis.

He not only asked the ward director and nurses to keep it secret, but also informed colleagues at work, the office director, and insurance staff one by one.

Occasionally, unaware doctors on rounds would ask questions like, "At what age did your father pass away from cancer? What stage? What treatment?" Sister Sunshine would helplessly reply, "Doctor, I don't have cancer, I have an ulcer."

In fact, her husband's concerns were not unfounded.

Six relatives in her family had passed away from cancer. As early as 2014, at age 46, Sister Sunshine underwent surgery for stage II cervical squamous cell carcinoma. In less than a year afterward, she received 7 chemotherapy sessions and 25 radiotherapy sessions.

Had she known she would face another severe illness just three years after finishing cervical cancer treatment, she wasn't sure she could have coped at the time.

However, this "white lie" was soon shattered by cold reality.

In May 2019, during a follow-up over a year post-surgery, liver metastasis was discovered, leading to resection and postoperative chemotherapy;

In May 2020, scans revealed metastatic shadows in her lungs.

"It was truly a bolt from the blue." Since then, May—colorful and comfortable to others—became a cold, dark, and grueling season for her.

"There was no choice but to grit my teeth and face it." After lung metastasis surgery, Sister Sunshine asked her attending physician about postoperative medication. "The doctor advised against chemotherapy, deeming it ineffective, and recommended continuing treatment with Anlotinib and Apatinib."

Sister Sunshine was skeptical about this plan. Ever since her diagnosis, she had embarked on a journey of seeking medical care while educating herself.

Attending lectures on Zhihu, discussing her condition in the Panda WeChat group, and searching for information on Xiaohongshu became her daily routine. From knowing nothing about rectal cancer to now, she has become something of a semi-professional in the eyes of fellow patients.

"Are Anlotinib and Apatinib suitable for colorectal cancer treatment?" With this doubt, she visited a specialized cancer hospital in her home province. "Unexpectedly, the doctor there suggested immunotherapy: PD-1 plus Lenalidomide."

"But I have microsatellite stable (MSS) type, which is not suitable for immunotherapy." She still disagreed with this proposal.

So, she resolutely traveled to Shanghai. Professor Cai from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center rejected the previous doctors' plans, stating that no further treatment was needed, only regular follow-ups.

Seeking medical advice in Shanghai.

This time, she finally felt "much more at ease." This somewhat "thrilling" consultation experience made her realize that patients and their families must also have a certain understanding of the disease and its treatments.

In her view, the fear of cancer mostly stems from the unknown. "As others say, the knowledge you possess determines your outcome after a cancer diagnosis."

Sister Sunshine has always been a "strong-willed" person. After experiencing state-owned enterprise reforms and being laid off from a well-known local winery, she worked as a typist, librarian, and broadcaster. Later, she joined a major domestic insurance company. Driven by an unyielding resilience, she moved through the training department, group insurance sales, and the general office, eventually rising from frontline business to management.

Achieving this was not easy. Without prior computer training, she taught herself typing and tried making PPTs, completing all training courseware on her own. She ranked first overall in the recruitment exam and also topped several open-ended questions. This made her one of the first six instructors officially appointed by local red-headed documents.

The sudden illness did not wear down her resilience. To learn more about treatments, she continuously studied from doctors and learned from fellow patients' cases on Zhihu, WeChat groups, and Xiaohongshu. She never missed live lectures in WeChat groups and listened to many expert interviews repeatedly.

Beyond medical treatment, she maintains a strict management plan for her diet and daily routine. After surgery, her gastrointestinal tract remained fragile and sensitive, leading to countless episodes of abdominal pain from eating the wrong things. For this, she prepared a notebook to meticulously record her daily meals, exploring what suits her best.

"Breakfast: soy milk, eggs, vegetable bun." "Lunch: noodles + apple." "Morning snack: 4 figs + apple + pear." "Evening snack: a quarter of a melon."

Facing bowel movements ranging from over ten times to five or six times a day, she also kept a stool log to track her body's changes.

"5:16 First time." "6:50 Second time." "7:30 Third time." "13:50 Sixth time." "20:20 Ninth time."

Because of her illness, Sister Sunshine knows herself better. Through constant adjustment, she has learned to coexist with her body and her emotions.

Not long after her first lung metastasis surgery, she learned that a fellow patient had passed away from colorectal cancer. She cried in her husband's arms for a long time.

Having spent so much time in the hospital, Sister Sunshine often became the focal point of the ward.

She met too many patients who were fearful, crying, or anxious. "I don't think that's right; being hospitalized isn't the end of the world." She always actively encouraged those around her, and many patients were willing to talk to her to draw strength.

"Look at Qin Yi, who also got colorectal cancer at 44 but was still alive at 100. Reagan was also a colorectal cancer patient, diagnosed at 74, yet he lived to 93."

Good recovery stems even more from a positive mindset, she insists on finding a balance between illness and life.

Sister Sunshine persists in running. Since high school, she was on the basketball team, running over ten laps around the track every morning with sandbags.

After falling ill, running became her key to maintaining health. Every morning, she heads out early, running five kilometers through her neighborhood, parks, and along the river, moving more nimbly than most.

Many ask, "How do you stick with it so well?" To Sister Sunshine, "Exercise is a magic tool for recovery. Running never requires forcing yourself; it's natural. Not running for a day feels like missing something essential."

"On the endless track, running toward the sunlight, with a gentle breeze and warm rays on you, the river flowing slowly, and distant mountains and white clouds looking so beautiful. Her love for life and her will to conquer the disease seem to burst forth."

Besides running, she enjoys gardening, cooking, watching dramas, and reading poetry. She fills every day with activities.

"How to bake mini cakes in an air fryer," "What to do if dragon fruit steamed buns change color when preheated," "Three ways to eat locust flowers"—these are the little tips she often researches and shares.

"Do whatever makes you happy," she believes. "When your mood is good, the illness slowly recedes."

In 2023, she had another check-up during the "dark May."

This time, a 1.3 x 1.2 cm lung nodule was found.

The difference was that, tempered by experience, she calmly accepted the surgery.

Less than a month post-surgery, she tried running again. Now, she can run four or five kilometers once more.

Sister Sunshine's social media handle is "Sunlight in the Woods." Sunlight filtering through the trees may cast more shadows, but it never loses its warmth, and it still holds an endless vitality.

"Some say that every day, 330 billion cells in the human body die, and 330 billion new ones are born. In times of crisis, every cell fights for you. Your body loves you more than you love yourself, so you must also strive to live on."

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