The first sight of Mr. Melchor was happened on the stage of a singing contest, which was held by Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou. After a song with all the voices of the mountain, Mr. Melchor ebulliently danced tango with his loved wife. We can feel his deeply love to his wife and enthusiasm to life from his song and dance. If you don’t know him very well, you would never think he is a stage IV lung cancer patient.

Mr. Melchor is dancing with his wife on Open-Mic

As a Philippine - American , the 68-year-old Mr. Melchor was the head of a private school in USA before his retire. His loved wife and lovely children’s company made his life peaceful and happy. He had planned to enjoy life well in his old age after retire, while a physical examination broke his peaceful life.

In February, 2014, after a physical check-up in Manila, Mr. Melchor’s CT scan result showed that there was some nodules in his left lung, and he accepted his doctor’s advice that he should take chest CT scans regularly. While Mr. Melchor began to cough repeatedly without phlegm in late December of 2013, Mr. Melchor was treated as “pneumonia” by the Manila Hospital. Until February 20th, 2014, Mr. Melchor was diagnosed with lung cancer after performing needle biopsy.

“I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in the Philippines. And my doctor advised me to have chemo, otherwise I only have 12 months to live, but I don't like chemo.” Mr. Melchor said, “But my kids wanted me to be treated in the USA, so my wife and I went over there and talked to cancer physicians in the USA. And they also advised me to have a chemo as soon as possible, otherwise I only have 4 to 6 months to live.”

Mr. Melchor began to seek for other treatment for his cancer. Sometimes, when you think there is no way out, hope is often just around the corner. By chance, Mr. Melchor met Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou under a friend's introduction, then he searched the hospital by Google and was attracted by their advanced cancer therapies deeply, which made him decide to pay a visit to the hospital’s Manila Office.

“The video that showed to me by Dr. Lim from Manila Office of Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, I saw the treatment is targeted, I believe it is the right choice for me. That's the right treatment, because at the age of 68, I am afraid if I have chemo, my body will just weaken, and I won’t be able to handle. That's why I like the targeted treatment here. And here in China, here at Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, they have different interventional treatment.” Mr. Melchor said. After knowing the treatment in detail, Mr. Melchor decided to visit Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou.

On April 20^th, 2014, Mr. Melchor and his wife arrived at Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, and then began their treatment. Until now, Mr. Melchor has accepted three months of treatment in Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, including six times of interventional treatments, two times of radioactive particles implantation treatments and one time of cryotherapy. So far, Mr. Melchor’s condition has been improved greatly. As the CT scan results showed, the tumor size shrank by 50%, his cancer pain relieved a lot and his cough was disappearing gradually. Above all, Mr. Melchor’s spirit didn’t beat down by the tumor, instead, was more stronger.

Mr. Melchor’s CT scan before treatment

Mr. Melchor’s CT scan after the first treatment

Mr. Melchor said: “The most impressive thing here is the intervention treatment, which is very impressive in lung cancer treatment. When I was in Manila, I coughed a lot, almost non-stop. But after the first interventional operation here, when I got back in my room, it just like the cough has disappeared. So, I would say, the No.1 thing impressed me is the interventional treatment. It really works for me.”

Mr. Melchor is a positive and optimistic man. Even he is far away from home for treatment in Guangzhou, which hasn’t changed his positive attitude to life. On the Open- Mic of July 28^th, , which was held by Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, after a song with all the voices of the mountain, Mr. Melchor ebulliently dance the tango with his loved wife, he never acted like a cancer patient in his daily life. Mr. Melchor told us, “I would say I am a happy person. Because, I like singing and dancing, we dance every week. I want to enjoy life as much as I can. And I won't let this cancer prevent me from doing that if I can.”

Mr. Melchor ‘s wife said, “I would say he has improved a lot, because when we left the USA, he was coughing so much, and it was hard for him to sleep, but now, he has improved a lot.”

Mr. Melchor and his loved wife

Mr. Melchor happily shared his anticancer experience with other cancer patients, “ I wish you can stay positive when you are diagnosed with cancer unluckily. Do not depress yourself, just  stay positive and enjoy life. Every day is a special gift, that is why we need to enjoy. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. I am not sure, either. Even the doctors told me that I only have 6 months or 4 months to live, I will ignore it. So what we have to do is enjoying life, just enjoying. That will help to improve our condition."

After the treatment, if everything goes well, Mr. Melchor is going to return to the USA, because he wants to show himself to his kids. “You know, because my kids want me to be treated in USA, and I just want to show them that I have improved a lot in China, everything will be fine.” Mr. Melchor said.

Life is a gift. Everyday is so special. Yesterday was past, tomorrow we are not sure, so we just enjoy the present. The song of Melchor’s life, for his optimism, for the care and love from his family, and for the efforts from the medical staff of Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, has become the most beautiful paean.

*Surgery, in addition to the appropriate chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are effective in treating early cancer, but certain patients in late stage of cancer may not be tolerate surgery well as they can be relatively weak. A combination of carefully planned minimally invasive therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy can effectively reduce the side effects and discomfort of treatment and may help patient get better efficacy.