As BRAF Advanced Treatment Enters Its Fourth Year: A Middle-Aged Couple's Journey of Mutual Support Against Cancer | Patient Story
In November 2023, Yunhe wrote Facing BRAF with "B", "R", "A", "F": She Is Stronger Than I Imagined (click here to read), delicately chronicling his wife Feifei's three-year struggle with advanced colorectal cancer. Today, the courage and perseverance from that piece still resonate within our community. Feifei's journey has quietly entered its fourth year. Following her latest successful check-up results, Yunhe once again picked up his pen to reflect: this is both a look back at the past years and a way to capture the new struggles, steadfastness, and hidden hopes of this past year. "Four years of wind and rain, yet no sunrise or rainbow in sight. Clearing thorns to ask the way ahead, how to stay calm amidst swirling clouds?" This life journey across four springs and autumns continues to radiate light and warmth through words.
—————
Author | Yunhe & Dun'er
Editor | Dun'er
Reviewer | Guangguang
The ticking clock urges the days and months to turn. Nearly 300 pages have been torn from the desk calendar, and November 2025 has arrived.
I still remember four years ago, right after our company's annual health checkup, my wife Feifei suddenly developed severe abdominal pain a few days later. Symptoms persisted despite emergency CT scans and IV fluids. Following further gastroenterology consultations, a PET/CT report on November 30, 2021, confirmed metastatic colorectal cancer with peritoneal seeding and lymph node metastasis. Even more devastating, genetic testing revealed a BRAF V600E mutation, meaning her already difficult advanced cancer treatment would face a relatively poorer prognosis and shorter survival expectancy.
The sudden, grim diagnosis plunged us into fear and confusion, our minds filled with unfamiliarity about the illness and uncertainty about the future. However, as my wife is well-educated, I chose to be completely honest about her condition. Once we clearly recognized the difficult reality before us, we began our journey to break through it.
It was a heartbreaking November, but also a November of rebirth. Over these four years, my wife has shown immense courage, moving from acceptance to bravely walking the path of cancer treatment while actively learning about her condition and adjusting her mindset. Through these grueling four years, she has never been defeated. In my heart, she is the absolute best!
「 I. Four Years of Clearing Thorns 」
Over the past four years, we have visited numerous top-tier hospitals across the country. Our footsteps in seeking consultations have been left in the outpatient clinics of many renowned institutions, including the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Peking University Cancer Hospital, Chinese PLA General Hospital (301 Hospital), Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, and Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
My wife has undergone multiple lines of treatment, and every single step has been incredibly arduous.
From the initial two cycles of two-drug FOLFOX chemotherapy, to five cycles of VIC therapy, eight cycles of three-drug FOLFOXIRI chemotherapy, ten cycles of immunotherapy, eight months of DTC therapy, twelve months of TAS-102 combined with bevacizumab, and the ongoing four cycles of BREAKWATER (dabrafenib-based) therapy, along with two stent interventions, two open abdominal surgeries (pelvic cytoreduction, exploratory laparotomy with cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC), and standardized traditional Chinese medicine adjuvant therapy, the difficult choices of treatment plans have defined our lives over these four years.
Throughout the treatment, my wife pushed through hurdle after hurdle with extraordinary willpower. The various side effects brought by chemotherapy often far exceeded what an ordinary person could endure.
When hair loss became severe, she cried at home and shaved her own head with clippers. During bouts of nausea and vomiting, her stomach would churn violently; she would vomit up a bite of food immediately after swallowing it, yet catch her breath and force herself to take another bite. Not to mention when her blood pressure spiked, immune reactions struck suddenly, joints ached, or fevers recurred—she would swallow handfuls of symptomatic medications through gritted teeth, never once complaining of the hardship.
Even more perilous were the sudden, unexpected allergic reactions.
After taking a sip of traditional Chinese medicine during immunotherapy, a red rash spread across her entire body at a visible speed. The moment iron supplements were infused, her whole body felt scalding hot, like a boiled crab. During a bevacizumab injection, her throat swelled so much she couldn't breathe... Each allergic reaction came swiftly and lethally, leaving us terrified as if one foot had already crossed into the underworld, yet she was always pulled back to reality at the critical moment.
When tumors filled the intestinal lumen causing a bowel obstruction, the excruciating pain made her wish for death. When external tumor masses blocked her ureters, the inability to urinate left her deeply disheartened. Yet even in moments of breakdown, she never stopped her treatment. After surgeries or stents relieved the obstructions, she would always say, "Feifei is back again!"
Though physically weak and short of breath, her postoperative recovery fortunately went smoothly. Despite widespread soreness, swelling, pain, and numbness, she never wavered in her commitment to standardized treatment. Through countless hardships and dangers, she never bowed her head. In my heart, she is the absolute best!
「 II. The Stormy Path Held Up Together 」
As the seasons turned, many events beyond treatment left an indelible mark on our family—
In the spring of 2022, we flew from Kunming to Guangzhou on China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 a few days early, narrowly escaping death. At that time, we felt that disasters are beyond human control, yet also believed our lives were not meant to end;
In the summer of 2023, our child finished kindergarten and entered primary school, a milestone we hadn't even dared to hope for before;
In the autumn of 2024, we climbed together to the Golden Summit of Mount Emei. My wife walked briskly, no different from anyone else. At that moment, I simply thought how perfect life would be if it could always be like this;
During this year's National Day holiday, we chased a typhoon to Beihai, witnessing how all living things seem as insignificant as ants under the mighty forces of nature. It was then that a question arose in my mind: When facing destiny, are we only left to surrender?
Clearing thorns along this path and tasting all the bitterness, spiciness, sourness, and sweetness, what we have always sought is not just treatment, but more importantly, to seize the present and make today fulfilling. Facing the relentless advance of the disease, she has never hesitated or retreated, always charging forward with an unyielding resilience. In my heart, she is the absolute best!
When the cancer recurred after surgery this July, and we consulted internal medicine and surgical doctors in Beijing, Guangzhou, and locally about the next steps, almost all their answers brought a sense of sorrow, casting a new layer of fog over an already difficult cancer battle.
Which way should we go ahead? Where does the path ultimately lead? We can only wade forward by feeling for the stones. Our child's needs, our parents' care, the support of relatives and friends, the help of friends, and the tolerance of our leaders are all the stepping stones for us to cross the river. To all those who have given my wife warmth, you are the absolute best!
「 III. Focus on the Present, Move Forward Firmly 」
On November 7, in the office of the Director of Medical Oncology at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, after reviewing our treatment history, her first words were, "You are a miracle." She immediately followed with, "None of my V600E colorectal cancer patients have survived beyond two years." This statement filled me with both pride and sorrow. I am proud because, facing the disease, my wife has proven through practice that scientific treatment and a positive attitude can help one find a ray of sunshine amidst dark clouds. Yet I am sorrowful because the clouds are too thick and heavy, making it increasingly difficult for her frail body to endure prolonged suffering.
What should we do about the unforgettable past and the uncertain future? I have two thoughts to share with you and with myself.
First, do not question the past, and do not hesitate about the future. The illness is complex and ever-changing, and it will not strictly follow clinical guidelines. When we face unfavorable changes, we must first avoid doubting past decisions, because at that time, you made the best choice based on your understanding of the condition. You cannot use present knowledge to judge past decisions.
Facing future uncertainties, we also cannot remain perpetually hesitant. When we cannot make judgments ourselves, we should find a doctor we trust most and move forward according to their advice. We must not run around like headless flies consulting various experts, or we will lose our way.
Finally, treatment is necessary, but it is not the entirety of life. Struck by such misfortune, we may become exhausted from rushing around, but we must always remember that treatment is not everything. This applies to both patients and caregivers. Go out, live, and enjoy yourselves. This is the driving force behind treatment, and even more so, its ultimate purpose.
Outside of treatment, my wife drives herself to and from work, helps our child with homework at home, and goes shopping and dining out on weekends. This is life. As a caregiver, I strive to learn as much as possible outside of her treatment schedule to be her most solid support, studying medicine, engineering, philosophy, economics, and law. Friends in our "Panda" support group jokingly call me "Brother Certificate."
Life is about choices. Looking too far ahead makes you ignore the ground beneath your feet; thinking too much makes you lose sight of what's right in front of you. Often, we only have one option, or none at all. In those moments, we may feel despair and confusion, but we must never retreat or give up. There is only one thing we can do: take a step forward without looking back.
To protect patient privacy, the names used in this article are pseudonyms.
Images containing the patient's portrait have been authorized by the patient and may not be used without permission.
Patient Stories | Beijing Middle-Aged Man's Notes on Fighting Advanced Colon Cancer | Walking with Gastric Cancer: Brother Zhuzi's Brilliant Life | A Ming: Two Years Accompanying My Mother Through Liver and Lung Metastatic Colorectal Cancer | In Memory of A Xing: He Crossed the Night Sky Like a Meteor, Illuminating Countless Dark Nights | Sibling Love: Four Years of Treatment for Colorectal Cancer with Liver Metastasis | Xiao Li: A Patient's Self-Narrative of Fighting Cancer | Sister Xiuxiu: The Treatment Journey for Colorectal Cancer with Liver and Ovarian Metastasis | Brother Guo: A Tenacious Treatment Path for Colorectal Cancer with Peritoneal Metastasis | Nao Nao: A 27-Year-Old's Self-Rescue Journey After Colorectal Cancer Recurrence | Sister Tudou: A 7-Year Cancer Battle with Lung and Brain Metastatic Colorectal Cancer | Jin Xia: A 4-Year Treatment Path for HER2-Positive Gastric Cancer | Mickey: A 31-Year-Old's Treatment Path for Advanced Gastric Cancer | Alison: Treatment for HER2-Positive Advanced Colorectal Cancer | From Stage IV Gastric Cancer to Complete Remission | 78 Liver Metastases Do Not Mean a Death Sentence | That Advanced Cancer Patient Who Entered the ICU Due to Infection Is Now Tumor-Free | Cancer Blogger Fengzi Passes Away: Who Will Care for Young Patients Fighting Cancer Alone? | Sister Yangguang: Life Should Not Lose Its Color Because of Illness | Nine Years of Fighting Advanced Cancer: Happiness Still Found Me | From Postpartum Constipation to Advanced Colorectal Cancer: A Young Lynch Syndrome Mother's Cancer Miracle | A Post-85s Solo Cancer Journey: To Be Continued (Part 1) | Nine Years of Fighting Advanced Cancer: Happiness Still Found Me
Doctor-Patient Communication | Director Shen Lin from Peking University Cancer Hospital: Step-by-Step Guide for Colorectal and Gastric Cancer Patients on How to Seek Medical Care
Director Xing Baocai from Peking University Cancer Hospital: Doctor-Patient Communication on Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis
Dr. Chen Gong from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center: Whether Surgery Can Be Performed Directly After Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis | On Surgery for Colorectal Peritoneal Metastasis | On Treatment Strategies for Colorectal Liver and Lung Metastasis
Dr. Xiao Jian from The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou: Chemotherapy, Targeted Therapy, and Immunotherapy for Advanced Gastric Cancer
Dr. Yao Hongwei from Beijing Friendship Hospital: Examinations Rectal Cancer Patients Need and How to Understand the Reports