The world of Tzu Chi March 2023 (Vol.145)

2023 • 03 22 Translated by Lee You Zhuan Photo by Yap Yan Hong Living in joy every day Sunshine Ambassador – Leng Mun Thong L eng Mun Thong, a Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth during his undergraduate days, has served as a teacher in Johor Bahru for 15 years. Standing on stage as a Sunshine Ambassador, he shared calmly, “I was diagnosed with stage-four colon cancer in 2014 and have been living with cancer for nearly nine years now. I just had my 14th surgery five months ago and had three rounds of radiotherapy last week...” His composure showed an understanding and acceptance of life and death. Mun Thong was only 36 when he was diagnosed. Although completely stunned, he only took a day to process the bad news, then pulled himself together and willed himself to fight the cancer head-on by actively seeking appropriate treatments with support from his family. He thought he would soon recover after all the treatments, unexpecting the cancer cells to spread from colon to liver and then to the lungs. Mun Thong revealed that he was utterly helpless and exhausted during his third and fourth surgeries, wondering if he should just give up. However, his sense of responsibility towards his wife, mother, and younger sister