"Journey of Seeking Light" — a portrait of a breast cancer survivor and her husband, five years after diagnosis.
The Moment of Diagnosis: Fear Was Real, But Life Continued
In June 2021, a 49-year-old woman in Chongqing — we will call her "Ms. Liu" — received a diagnosis that would change her life: breast cancer. The words hit hard. For days she felt as though the ground had shifted beneath her.
"My heart was panicked. I felt like I could not beat it," she recalled, sitting across from Dr. Luo Kuo years later, her voice now steady. But panic did not paralyze her. There was a husband, a son, a future daughter-in-law, and grandchildren yet to be born. After the initial shock, she made a decision: face it, treat it, and keep going.
Dr. Luo Kuo, Director of Oncology Center at Chongqing HYGEIA Hospital, reviewing imaging during follow-up care.
Ms. Liu underwent surgery, then chemotherapy, and finally radiotherapy. At Chongqing HYGEIA Hospital, she completed her radiotherapy course under the care of Dr. Luo Kuo and the oncology team. Each phase demanded endurance, but she held on.
More Than Treatment: The Warmth of Being Seen
What stayed with Ms. Liu was not just the clinical protocol. It was the way she was treated as a person, not a chart.
"From the first moment I walked in, it felt warm and familiar," she said. "The doctors and nurses were so kind. They don't let patients leave feeling unhappy."
A patient receiving precision radiotherapy on a linear accelerator at Chongqing HYGEIA Hospital.
She remembers small things: a nurse greeting her by name, a thin blanket placed over her on the treatment table, a doctor asking "How do you feel today?" and actually waiting for the answer. During ward rounds, Dr. Luo never rushed. He stood by her bed and listened to stories about her son's wedding plans, her husband's back pain, her sleepless nights.
On one of those nights, he opened the flashlight on his phone and pointed it toward the floor. "Use this when you get up at night," he told her. "It's gentle on the eyes." Later she learned he gave the same advice to many patients struggling with insomnia. Small gestures, perhaps, but in the dark hours of illness, they meant everything.
Dr. Luo Kuo on his way to visit a patient at home, part of HYGEIA's extended follow-up care.
Five Years Later: The Pillar of the Family
Ms. Liu is now 54. Two grandsons — one seven, one five — run around her kitchen during summer break. She cooks, helps them with their shoes, wipes their mouths, and puts them down for naps. Her son and daughter-in-law work; her husband works. She calls herself the family's "pillar."
She stopped drinking after her diagnosis and has not touched alcohol in five years. She still enjoys mahjong and card games, wins happily and loses without frustration. When a follow-up appointment comes, she goes, checks the report, and returns home to cook. Ordinary days, perhaps — but ordinary days built one at a time across five years.
Ms. Liu at home, surrounded by family, five years after completing breast cancer treatment.
"As long as you keep walking bravely, once you pass that hurdle, it's really okay."
The Doctor's Reflection: Seeing Her Stand Again
During the interview, Ms. Liu sat across from Dr. Luo wearing a striped shirt, laughing as she told stories about winning at mahjong and her grandsons' mischief. Dr. Luo listened quietly, watching the light return to her eyes. The woman in front of him was almost unrecognizable from the anxious patient lying in a hospital bed five years earlier.
"That look of care in a doctor's eyes — when you see a patient who suffered so much find the confidence to live again — it is the deepest satisfaction medicine can offer," he said.
A Story About Everyday Courage
When we look for "heroes" in the fight against cancer, we often imagine dramatic breakthroughs. But in Ms. Liu's home and in Dr. Luo's clinic, the real hero is the woman who once panicked and now laughs. It is the doctor who listens longer than he needs to. It is every small moment of choosing to live normally.
Advanced interventional and multidisciplinary oncology capabilities support patients across every stage of care at HYGEIA.
From Fear to Peace of Mind
Ms. Liu's path from panic to peace took five years, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and countless quiet acts of care. Today she is busy, needed, and alive in the most ordinary and profound sense. Her story, and the doctor who stood beside her, remind us that cancer treatment is most powerful when it preserves not just years of life, but the life within those years.
Expert Profile
Dr. Luo Kuo
Director of Oncology Center, Chongqing HYGEIA Hospital
Dr. Luo Kuo leads the oncology center at Chongqing HYGEIA Hospital, overseeing multidisciplinary care for breast cancer, gastrointestinal tumors, lung cancer, and other solid tumors. Known for combining clinical precision with attentive, patient-centered follow-up, he has accompanied many patients from active treatment through long-term survivorship.
Considering Breast Cancer Care in China?
HYGEIA Healthcare's international patient team can connect you with experienced oncology centers for surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and long-term survivorship care across our nationwide hospital network.
Book a Consultation— Chongqing HYGEIA Hospital, Brand & Communications Department —
← Back to News