When I opened Facebook the other week, I was surprised when I found out that Justin Perry had passed away. As a person with advanced lung cancer, I thought I would handle death better, but Justin’s death had a deep impact on me. I talked to Justn twice on FB and considered to interviw him for “Self-Portrait Series of Lung Cancer”, but…. See my article about how Justin impact me. https://lungcancer.net/living/remembering-justin-perry/

My friend HaoPei (斐皓) is a Stage 4 lung cancer patient, 37 years old. This picture was taken by him when he traveled in rural China after his diagnosis. I’m grateful for HaoPei’s generosity.

I wanted to create a living self-portraits series about lung cancer patients and caregivers. These portraits are about our feelings, our journey, especially how we got to this point. I will interview the patients and the caregivers as if I am a brush in their hand. Today, I interviewed myself as the 1st living self-portrait of the series.https://lungcancer.net/living/self-portrait-series-christine/

My friend HaoPei (斐皓) is a Stage 4 lung cancer patient, 37 years old. This picture was taken by him when he traveled in rural China after his diagnosis.

I’m not a social person but it doesn’t bother me. When I was diagnosed with lung cancer, I became even more isolated. One reason is that I didn’t know how to talk to people about my cancer. Later, I also noticed that my colleagues didn’t know how to talk to me either. How can I talk comfortably with people, especially those don’t have cancer?https://lungcancer.net/living/talking-about-my-cancer/

My friend HaoPei (斐皓) is a Stage 4 lung cancer patient, 37 years old. This picture was taken by him when he traveled in rural China after his diagnosis.

After diagnosing lung cancer, I understad what suffering means. Slowly, little by little, I digested and absorbed the suffering. I understand “… suffering is like a pathway towards meaning and wisdom. Without suffering, I wouldn’t have realized and appreciated the meaning of life.” It’s absolutey important to allow yourself to reflect and grieve. https://lungcancer.net/living/meaning-follows-suffering/

My friend HaoPei (斐皓) is a Stage 4 lung cancer patient, 37 years old. This picture was taken by him when he traveled in rural China after his diagnosis.

Using the blooming orchids as a metaphor, Christine described her feeling as a cancer surviver and she never give up for the life. https://lungcancer.net/living/recognizing-my-anniversary/

My friend HaoPei (斐皓) is a Stage 4 lung cancer patient, 37 years old. This picture was taken by him when he traveled in rural China after his diagnosis.

I attended LUNGevity’s International Lung Cancer Survivorship Conference(ILCSC) in Washington DC from April 25-28, 2019. It was the first time I attended a conference specifically for lung cancer patients and caregivers. It was such a surprising conference from many perspectives — conference content, social arrangement, and especially the conference atmosphere. https://lungcancer.net/living/international-survivorship-conference/

My friend HaoPei (斐皓) is a Stage 4 lung cancer patient, 37 years old. This picture was taken by him when he traveled in rural China after his diagnosis.

It’s quite a routine for North Americans to donate to charities, but not for Chinese. According to “30 Years of Giving in Canada” published in 2018, levels giving to charities as a percentage to GDP are: US (1.44%) ranked 1st, Canada (0.77%) ranked 3rd, and China (0.03%) ranked 23rd out of 24 countries.¹ Living in China and later in Canada for my entire life and contributing to raising funds for US ROS1+ Lung Cancer research, I noticed that Chinese and North Americans have totally different viewpoints on donation…. https://lungcancer.net/living/to-donate-or-not/

My friend HaoPei (斐皓) is a Stage 4 lung cancer patient, 37 years old. This picture was taken by him when he traveled in rural China after his diagnosis.