Cancer patient finds strength and inspires others through running in Vietnam

Huynh Thi Tuyet Huong, a 48-year-old from Gia Lai, faces her breast cancer diagnosis with remarkable resilience, finding solace and purpose in her love for running.

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I only feared I wouldn't have enough time with my loved ones, couldn't accompany my children through life's important milestones, and had to abandon the paths I hadn't yet conquered.

Even while awaiting surgery, Huong practices gentle yoga and runs laps in the hospital corridors. Initially met with surprise by other patients, her determination gradually inspires them to move and find a more optimistic outlook. She has undergone surgery and six rounds of chemotherapy, enduring days of pain and fatigue. Yet, whenever her health permits, she participates in running races across Vietnam, completing distances from 10km to 21km. "Cancer may take a part of my body, but it cannot take away my will and my desire to live," she reflects.

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As long as my body can move, I still have a lot of hope.

Before her first chemotherapy session, Huong chose to shave her head and capture the moment in a photo shoot, transforming what she considered the saddest part of her life into a symbol of strength. She even proudly displays surgical scars, seeing them as proof of her resilience and rebirth. At a "Walking with K Warriors" program at Cho Ray Hospital, Huong shared her journey, from initial fear and grueling treatments to her inspiring hospital corridor runs and race medals.

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Cancer may take a part of my body, but it cannot take away my will and my desire to live.

"If my story can give faith to someone, I feel my runs have meaning," she stated. Another patient, Huynh Thi Xuan Ngoc, 35, also shared her shock at a breast cancer diagnosis at 33, worrying about her young children. Like Huong, Ngoc finds strength in her will to live despite the debilitating effects of chemotherapy.

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If my story can give faith to someone, I feel my runs have meaning.