Just a message to my dearest friend

How I wish you were getting through this peacefully... I understand the pain residing deep inside your heart.

He is young, he is charming, he is the one you love, and he is perhaps the one you want to spend the rest of your life with.

But he is dying.

He will leave you sooner or later. And I believe the last thing he wants to see is your tear.

I wish you both able to spend the most of time together while it lasts.

Bless you.

Spring - the season of acute leukaemia

My 6th week in haematology and oncology. Can't say that I love the job, but its certainly an extraordinary experience.

In 6 weeks, I have witnessed 10 diagnoses of acute leukaemia, with my patients' age ranging from 31 to 72. And my latest victim being the youngest 31 year old asian lady with acute myelogenous leukaemia.

She could not speak English, and I happen to be the only person in the ward at that time able to speak her common language - Mandarin.

"(In mandarin) You will die in days to couple of weeks, if you don't receive treatment."

I still can remember the four lines of tears, her partner's and hers, the tremor in their hands, the anger, frustration, transmitted to me on each eye contact.

And I had to say the same sentence to each 10 of them.

Some are recovering, some are suffering life threatening complications, some are in intensive care unit... regardless, despite going through the first cycle of induction chemotherapy, in complete remission or not, they will still have to go through further chemotherapy.

It is torturing. But there is still hope.

Quoted from my consultant haematologist, in young patients (<65 in general) we always aim to cure for all acute leukaemia, with 10-year survival ranging between 30-70%.

My best wishes to all my patients. I hope they do well in their courses of treatment and recover eventually.

As usual as I say... look after yourself, and cherish those whom you love.