Michael Chan shares brain tumour experience
17 May - Veteran martial arts actor Michael Chan is not one to shy away from admitting that he was afraid of death, having experienced struggling with brain tumour before.
The 79-year-old actor recently sat down for an interview, and shared his experience of being diagnosed with the disease three years ago, following a diagnosis of lung cancer.
"I was often dizzy during that time. But then one day, I fainted while going down the stairs, so I went to the hospital for a checkup. The doctors found something in the size of a mung bean in my brain, which affected my brain at the time," he said.
However, Michael said that he didn't have to undergo chemotherapy at the time as he had a good foundation when it comes to his fitness.
"I only needed to return to the hospital every 20 days for [injections and medicines]. This lasted almost a year and every time it cost me HKD 70,000 to 80,000," he said.
Looking back on the moment when he was diagnosed, Michael confessed, "If you say you are not afraid, you are lying. Everyone is afraid of death. Who would have expected that there was a tumour in the brain. At the time I often experienced many physical conditions. I often feel dizzy and have poor vision, and because the tumour is located on the right side of my brain, it affected the left side of my body. I am still a bit inflexible, feel paralysed, and can even lose strength."
When mentioned that he was seen with a hunchback and using a cane recently, the actor said that his days of action and martial arts films have now affected his body and that he also had a hip replacement surgery.
"After the operation, I lost my balance when walking, so I needed to use crutches to gain strength," he said.
