A cancer diagnosis can change the way a person looks at life. She spent her savings on the month-long trip, hoping to make the most of her time. After returning home, she received an unexpected update during a hospital check-up. Her tumour had shrunk.
For 67-year-old Wang Ying from southwestern China, it prompted her to fulfil a long-held dream of travelling to Antarctica to photograph penguins.
After returning from the trip, Wang visited a hospital for a follow-up examination. To her surprise, doctors found that her tumour had shrunk compared with her previous examination a month earlier.
Doctors advised her to undergo surgery immediately, the Shanghai Morning Post reported. The diagnosis came as a major shock. Wang, who had spent decades pursuing her passion for bird photography, decided she wanted to visit Antarctica and capture images of penguins before undergoing treatment. She recalled that she did not want to undergo surgery at the time and wanted to travel somewhere far away if her life was nearing its end. After returning from the trip, Wang visited a hospital for a follow-up examination. However, they advised her to continue monitoring her condition closely.
Wang, an amateur wildlife photographer, has photographed more than 1,200 bird species over the years. In 2013, as she prepared to retire from her job as an administrator at a school in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, she was diagnosed with a form of thyroid cancer.
Doctors told her that surgery was not necessary for the time being, according to the report.
To her surprise, doctors found that her tumour had shrunk compared with her previous examination a month earlier.
