My younger brother has late-stage nasopharyngeal cancer, and the hospital has stopped his treatment.
We just got his MRI report. I went with him to the outpatient appointment to hear the results and figure out what to do next. We explained the situation, but the doctor said chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy had all been tried without success, and there was nothing more he could do.
The doctor immediately called another specialist and asked if we could join their treatment group. Since we didn’t have an appointment, we had to wait until every scheduled patient had been seen. Finally, it was our turn. The doctor looked through my brother’s records and said there was no way to treat his condition anymore. I asked, “Are there really no other options?” The doctor then asked my brother to step outside and told me, “He’s so young, but continuing medication could cause severe bleeding and even death. All we can do now is prescribe oral liquid, but honestly, it won’t help—it’s just to get through each day.”
I held back my tears, afraid my brother would hear. It felt like a death sentence—like we just had to go home and wait. I knew he was very sick, but I never imagined he would run out of treatment options. He’s only twenty years old. I just can’t accept it. It breaks my heart.
We’ve been at the cancer hospital for almost a year, but his condition only got worse. The treatments left him blind, deaf, with a shrunken tongue, slurred speech, trouble swallowing, and vomiting after every meal. We’ve spent all our savings, but he hasn’t improved. Who could understand this feeling?
After the appointment, my brother said he wanted to go back to our hometown and try traditional Chinese medicine. I think he already knew the situation—maybe he just thought, “Let’s give it a try.” If the hospital won’t treat him anymore, we can’t just sit and wait. The next day, we went home to see a TCM doctor.
I hope traditional medicine can help. I pray that someday no one will have to suffer from illness and that everyone can be free from the pain of cancer.