CHAPTER 34

2025-3-26

The family's life over the years has lacked happy and memorable moments, and most of the time they have been struggling to face adversity and cope with difficulties.

When I was 41 years old, I had a major surgery for gallbladder cancer. In addition, I had already been diagnosed with hepatitis B, fatty liver, cirrhosis, hypertension, and atrio fubulation. My wife, Victoria, was always worried about my illness and was very nervous. In addition, it was very tiring to take care of Lun together, and we were extremely tired. Fortunately, the younger brother was naturally well-behaved, quiet and obedient. His sleeping habits are first-rate. He falls asleep quickly, sleeps soundly, and sleeps for a long time. As the saying goes, even thunder and lightning cannot wake him up.

Victoria thought about the situation of her two sons. Lun was growing up slowly, and the younger one was still in elementary school. If my condition worsened, in addition to the financial and living difficulties that would inevitably arise, our family’s life for many years would lack happy and unforgettable moments, and most of the time we would just be facing adversity and coping with difficulties.

In fact, in order to let Lun have more contact with the outside world, we participate in social activities as usual. The advantage of living in Canada is that you can go out and relax, and you can drive around for sightseeing and entertainment. So every summer vacation our family must go abroad and stay somewhere else for a few days to adjust our body and mind and also leave some happy moments for the family. We chose to go to towns that were larger and more scenic, within a 500-kilometer drive.

As a result, my younger son has grown up to like hiking and camping alone or in groups. He has also visited many places with us. Now after returning from outings with friends, he is very happy that he had visited those attractions when he was a child. He feels familiar with them and can recall the time he spent as a family when he was a child.

During that time, we met a single mother who was raising two teenage sons alone. Her husband died of liver cancer. Three years before his death, the couple decided to spend the rest of their lives accompanying their family, traveling to different places and spending time with their children when conditions allowed. After the head of the family passed away, the remaining three, while sad, also had no regrets about cherishing and loving each other, leaving behind beautiful moments.

After Victoria knew about it, she kept it in mind. Four years later, I was diagnosed with primary liver cancer, unrelated to gallbladder cancer, and required another major surgery. Lun was almost nineteen years old. As Lun became an adult, we no longer had the ability and conditions to take care of him long-term, so we were arranging for him to move into the care home. Half a year later, this was done and Lun has been living there and it has been nineteen years now.

The second time I was diagnosed with cancer, apart from the initial shock, my family was generally calm. In fact, we were not very optimistic about the future. Among the relatives and friends I knew, most liver cancer patients had difficulty recovering and none of them were completely cured. This situation further prompted Victoria to think, and she decided to accompany me around the world and leave behind beautiful memories.

In this way, she inadvertently became my travel ambassador.