PSALM 121 has always been Papa’s favourite psalm. As far as I remember, he would read this psalm aloud every morning during morning devotion. As a child, I was most fascinated by the robust, sing-song-like tonal inflections which accompanied the reading of the psalm. However, this passage of scripture took on new meaning for me when Papa was diagnosed to be suffering from lung cancer in April 1999.

I recall the devastation which hit our family upon hearing the bad news. Having witnessed my grandfather’s painful battle with lung cancer, Papa was aware of the physical and mental suffering that lay ahead. He underwent surgery to remove his upper right lung. This resulted in a clean slate of health for the next two years. However, in 2001, new nodules in his left lung were discovered and could not be suppressed despite having undergone four cycles of chemotherapy.

Amid unabated fears, Papa found comfort in Psalm 121 – "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." (verses 1 and 2). There were so many things he felt he had yet to accomplish: walking me down the aisle on my wedding day, seeing my sister Sherrin through university, spending his retirement years with mum. He knew that the only person who could help him during that hour of need was God. He believed that if it was God’s will that he should accomplish these things, God will provide suitable treatment for his fourth stage lung cancer.

God is indeed good to those who call upon His name. He allowed Papa to fall within the 15-20% of lung cancer patients which the drug, Iressa, was said to work on, and miraculously reduced the size of the malignant nodules in his left lung. Papa recognised that it was God who was healing him through the drug and resolved to testify of God’s goodness in whatever way he could. He was unashamed in giving God the glory and through his testimony, uplifted everyone, especially non-Christian cancer patients he ministered to.

Papa’s condition began to deteriorate after two years on Iressa. Persistent coughing and breathlessness due to excessive fluid in the left lung kept him up at night, and he became more gaunt by the day. Scans revealed the appearance of new nodules in the left lung, and the oncologist recommended putting Papa on a fresh round of chemotherapy. We were worried about how Papa would take to chemotherapy given his ailing health. Three days before he was due for chemotherapy, Papa was attacked by a severe bout of pneumonia. He was rushed to NUH and was put on the ventilator in the ICU for five days. Papa’s faith in God was put to a test when he had to decide if he wanted to persist or be taken off the ventilator. Choosing the latter meant placing his life in God’s hands, for while some could survive for months after being taken off the ventilator, others were not able to hold on for more than ½ hour. Papa chose to be taken off the ventilator for he believed that one who called himself a Christian should not be afraid to die. For that, God preserved Papa’s life and sustained him for the next six days before promoting him to glory.

Papa’s battle with lung cancer is proof of God’s unfailing love and protection of His own. Psalm 121 verses 7 and 8 state, "The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore." Although we mourn the loss of a loving husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend, we are comforted by the knowledge that Pa had led a victorious Christian life and that he has found eternal peace in the arms of God.

- Sharon Chan