Cancer survivor

Cancer has transformed my personality into a new “me”, a better “me” - Lawrence Loh

"I felt betrayed by the very professionals to whom I entrusted my life and who I believed was all trained in their specialized fields. I t proved to be a total failure of the health care system," that was the excerpt extracted from the book "Thank Goodness I have Cancer" authored by Lawrence Loh, a cancer survivor turned freelance writer. The book focuses on the author's experience in battling against all odds from colon cancer and the adoption of complementary therapies in herbs, supplements and coffee enemas in his undying struggle to assist healing and finally recovering in 2006. I made an interview with this amazing guy who simply refused to throw in a towel and embarked on a shopping spree trying multifarious medicinal herbs, supplements and coffee enema therapy after realizing his progress to recovery is painstakingly painful after a 4cm malignant tumor detected in his colon (after surgery) and subsequently undergoing a chemotherapy. Mr Loh can be reached at +6738742313

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Cancer has transformed my personality: Mr. Loh (BB-10/3/07)

“I felt betrayed by the very professionals to whom I entrusted my life and who I believed was all trained in their specialized fields. It proved to be a total failure of the health care system,” Those were the excerpts taken from a book “Thank Goodness I have cancer” authored by Lawrence Loh, a cancer survivor turned freelance writer. This book focuses on the author’s experience in battling against all odds from colon cancer and the adoption of complementary therapies in herbs, supplements and coffee enemas in his undying struggle to assist healing and finally recovering in 2006. “The response from the public is very encouraging and it turned out to be the best selling book at this fair. The unavailability of such a book in Brunei or neighboring countries inspired me to write this book; so that others may benefit using it as a catalyst or a base from which to gain further knowledge and information. It took me four years to write the book taking me to China, Malaysia and Australia to do research. Along the way, I uncovered remedial multifarious medicines to supplement my ongoing treatment that rejuvenates my battered body. The cost does not come cheap as I have to fork out thousands of dollars to cover the expenses,” said the author when met at “Brunei Book Fiesta 2007” at Indoor Stadium in Berakas recently. “I never thought the deadly disease would befall on me. I endured a bloated stomach and a feeling of being overfed although the intake of his food was cut by half. Concurrently, I suffered severe backaches when getting out of bed in the morning accompanied by the severest of headaches which not even painkillers could relieve my chronic discomfort. The affliction lasted only for 30 minutes or so but the pain was unbearable,” said the author recounting his painful experience some eight months before he was diagnosed with colon cancer. “I was merely resting on my laurels since I was comforted by the thought that I just had my full executive health screening less than a year before at a reputable private medical center in a neighboring country. Moreover, I had at least three similar screenings at the same medical center for the last ten years by three different specialist physicians and in all occasions, I was given a clean bill of health. The tests proved to be false negative,” he lamented. Making matters worst, his frequency of motion was increased to an irregular 3 times per day and his stools appeared a soft shinny-black consistency with mucus overlay. His suffering continued unabated for the next succeeding days and he had to ascertain the root cause of his chronic discomfort at a local clinic. After divulging his symptoms to a doctor, he was immediately referred to general hospital and ultimately admitted to undergo colonoscopy. The unexpected surfaced after doctors broke the dreaded news to him. A 4cm sized malignant tumor was detected and surgery had to be performed to remove it. How could the medical specialists missed out the tumor which had probably grown over a period of ten years? He wondered. Recuperating from the surgery, his ‘celebration’ was short-lived when the doctor informed him three lymph nodes which had been removed during the surgery had been tested positive and cancerous cells had perforated the serosa (the last membrane of colon). Worst still, if there was a leak either of intestinal fluid or blood from the colon, it could aggravate his condition. Based on the doctor’s assessment, he was categorized as having “Duke C” (Cancers are staged or graded according to the seriousness or spread of the disease; Duke A (stage 1) to Duke D (stage 4) with Stage 4 being the end-stage cancer). “I am totally shattered. I halfhearted put in a brave face and heart when the doctor said I have to undergo chemotherapy. I don’t know much about chemotherapy but based on my little knowledge, it is toxic to the body and it kills good cells as well. I was told there would be probably be side effects of hair loss, nausea, general malaise and constipation after the therapy. Now I realized that my battle against cancer has just begun. However, my whole families have been gone through thick and thin during my extreme predicament.” Although surgery and chemotherapy were instrumental in his recovery, nonetheless, Mr. Loh believes and has proven that a regular administration of coffee enemas coupled with consuming herbs and nutritional supplement have been important prophylactics for the prevention of recurrence and henceforth, cure. According to Mr. Loh, as with most cancers, colon cancers are, more often than not, asymptomatic (meaning without showing symptoms) in the early stages. This is what cancers so dangerous and so difficult to treat in their late stages and they could have spread to nearby lymph nodes or distal organs such as lungs, brain and bones. Obviously, who would go for occult blood test if one does not have any symptoms and cannot see any significant traces of tarry stools? Nevertheless, as Mr. Loh suggests, it is always prudent to be vigilant and refer any suspicious symptoms to a doctor preferably once a year. Grief stricken by the uncertainty, the author assisted his healing by embarking on a ‘shopping spree’ and sought to other alternatives such as traditional Chinese medicine, green tea extract, olive oil extract, herbal medicines and so forth. He knew by then there was no such thing as smooth sailing judging from statistics. Based on statistical extrapolation, the author believes that cancer death-rate in the sultanate will increase over the next five years period (2003-2007) and in the future years unless treatments are discovered and positive actions taken to lessen environmental pollution, the avoidance of carcinogenic substances and chemicals as well as the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. “I am optimistic with the publication of this book will open up public perception and stimulate awareness on the importance of maintaining healthy way of life through balanced-diet, proper exercise and decent lifestyles.” When asked what is the best complementary remedy which help to expedite the process to recovery? Mr. Loh singled out the Coffee Enema therapy. It has an amazing cleansing effect and harmless when administered properly. It is considered as the most effective form of therapy because of its immediate impact against detoxification, constipation and other maladies. During recovery process, Mr. Loh went on a strict diet regime. He kept sugar out of sight (Sugar is a food for cancer cells), refrained from all sorts of fats, milk, meat and only took fruits, uncooked vegetables, plenty of freshly-made and vegetables juices. He also had faith of drinking distilled water as he believed it is the best solvent against metabolic toxins. Nevertheless, he cautioned against complacency. “Cancers are curable. There are no such things as incurables; they are only things for which man has not found a cure. I feel cancer is not a curse but a blessing in disguise but uncovering that disguise is a challenge. I have learnt that every problem, there is a solution and with every difficulty, there are opportunities. Cancer has transformed my personality and family,” uttered Mr Loh who was borne 54 years ago in Kg Labu Estate in Temburong but raised in Kg Lambak (Brunei Muara District). He earns his living as a banking consultant since 1997 and blessed with three children. What is cancer anyway? Generally, cancer is caused by uncontrolled cells growth but what precipitates him can be found in his book, the author indicated. Is he really cured? A cancer patient is considered healed if there is no recurrence within a period of 5 years. Mr. Loh has enjoyed six year of remission. A word of advice? “I firmly believe that a doctor owes his patient a special ‘duty of care’ pertaining to the result of a diagnosis especially it relates to a fatal disease and that duty of care is to advise his patient to seek a second or third opinion before making a medical decision. Never rely on a single medical diagnosis,” he concluded.