UNDERSTANDING

I was a corporate warrior working for corporate America when I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. I feared the worst. I was in SHOCK! Shocked beyond utter disbelief. My mind went blank. Fortunately for me, I had Stage 1 kidney cancer. Still, I was very surprised that I had cancer because I had been very careful with my health and diet after contracting life-threatening non-viral liver hepatitis in 2005. But, on hindsight, I realized that I might have been complacent about my health when I was stressed at work soon after.

I journaled my whole experience overcoming cancer and what I learned. I shared what it was like going through the surgery to remove my right kidney and what I did subsequently, during the recovery process. I further explained the healthy life I led to be cancer-free for the next five years. I described in detail my experience with non-viral liver hepatitis and the diet I used to help me recover from the disease.

I now champion healthy living to my friends, family and new acquaintances who I meet. I coach people on proactive healthy living to avoid making the mistake of taking their health for granted. Many of us take our own health seriously only after we experience a catastrophic disease or serious illness. I am passionate and committed to help others change their lives by taking control of their health. I share with others cancer avoidance strategies and how to avoid today's major diseases.

Like many others who experienced life-threatening diseases, I reminisced my past and I wrote about the happy and eventful moments of my life to share my life lessons.

In my book, I discussed the topic of “life and death” that remains a taboo subject to many. For many years since my childhood, I was extremely fearful of death. It was not until reading the book, The Tibetan Book of the Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche, that I became more at ease with the subject of death.

In late 2013, I experienced the death of my mother. I journaled my experience going through my Mother’s last days towards the end of 2013. I described my experience in detail so that we can learn from it to make the right decisions in the future. We can learn how the death of a loved one can teach us lessons in humanity and compassion and how we can be prepare ourselves when we are faced with our own mortality. Having experienced the death of a loved one, I now understand the importance of being prepared for death and making the necessary arrangements so as not to overburden the surviving relatives of the deceased.

I contrasted how my father wrote about my paternal grandmother’s death in 1976 with what I wrote of my mother’s death in 2013. The human philosophy and emotions remain the same but the traditions and rituals have become simpler due to today’s fast-paced society and our common desire to be practical about things.

In sharing my experiences and the life lessons I learnt in this book, I inadvertently discovered that I had a greater sense of purpose in my life and I now dedicate my life towards helping others. I help others to avoid the learning curve and the hard life lessons I picked up after making my mistakes.

With over 30 years’ experience working for corporate America and as an entrepreneur, I mentor and coach entrepreneurs, corporate warriors and professionals to succeed by fast tracking their learning curve and avoiding common pitfalls. I help people to reinvent, reposition and reignite their career to reach their optimal potential and I am also a motivational speaker. I mentor young working adults and university undergraduates as a way to give back to the society-at-large and my alma mater. I am determined to help people with a programme to revitalize their body, reactivate their mind and rejuvenate their soul for them to live a great life!