PSALM 121 has always been Papa’s favourite
psalm. As far as I remem-ber, 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
