Hello friends! Last week, we followed Jimmy as he persevered and embarked on a journey to develop himself and upgrade his skills.  In this episode, Jimmy finally restarts his life, working as an Assistant Sales Manager. Also, despite their divorce, he and his ex-wife, Lindy, still made sure to provide a happy family life for their children. It seems like things are finally looking up for our protagonist, isn’t it? However, everything can change in the blink of an eye. Let’s find out what other challenges await Jimmy.

In 2003, Lindy and Jimmy decided to reward their kids for their excellent exam results. They put aside their differences and granted Shaun and Demi their wish of having a family holiday in Thailand. Little did they know, that would be their last holiday with Shaun.

30 November 2003 – six months into Jimmy’s new job – the day began like any other day. However, Jimmy received a call from Lindy saying that something was seriously wrong with Shaun.

Shaun was a very active nine-year-old boy. He spent his Sunday swimming and rollerblading. Sometime after he got home, Shaun’s face suddenly twisted and contorted. His teeth clenched, and he could not respond to people.

Jimmy rushed home and saw that Shaun was having a seizure. Unfortunately, Jimmy and Lindy thought that Shaun was possessed by an evil spirit, so Jimmy called his sister, who was a Taoist. His sister called a medium who came over and did a ritual with ringing bells. While he did that, Lindy and Jimmy shouted, “Shaun, Shaun, wake up, wake up!”

After the ritual, Shaun seemed to recover. He was very tired, so the parents cooked him some porridge. Not long after, Shaun vomited everything out together with some white foam. Later that evening, Shaun complained of an excruciating headache. This time, his parents felt that something was truly very wrong. They took him to Thomson Medical Centre first, which promptly redirected the family to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital instead. Jimmy and Lindy felt helpless. As all parents will attest, the worst feeling in the world is not knowing how to help your child who is in pain.

Finally, they reached the hospital. While Shaun was being examined, he asked one of the nurses, “Can you bring chairs for my Mummy and Daddy to sit down on?” Shaun was in so much pain, yet he still made sure that his parents were as comfortable as possible. What a lovely and special boy he was!

The doctor scheduled Shaun for a brain scan and Jimmy held his hand as Shaun was put through the machine. When the radiographer looked at the resulting scan, Jimmy saw his eyes widen. The radiographer quickly called the doctors. When the doctors arrived, all four of them spoke anxiously with each other. When one of them realised that Jimmy was looking at them, the doctors immediately moved to a corner to continue their serious discussion. That was when Jimmy suspected something was seriously wrong with Shaun.

Shaun was prescribed with painkillers which did not work for him. His pain came in waves—it would seize him for a minute or so, subside, then come again a few minutes later. It was almost dawn when, finally, the doctor came back to the family. Jimmy’s heart was pounding.

The doctor informed them that Shaun had a four-centimetre tumour which put pressure on his brain, causing him intense pain. The tumour had to be taken out with a major operation in the next two days!

Upon hearing the news, Jimmy could not comprehend how such an active boy like Shaun was sick! To think that they would have to shave Shaun’s hair (which he liked to style in spikes) and put him through such a big operation broke Jimmy’s heart. However, they knew they had no choice. An operation was quickly scheduled.

On the day of the operation, Jimmy tried his best to be bright and cheery. Jimmy told Shaun that the operation would not be painful. Everything would be fine and Daddy would be there when he woke up. In the operating theatre, the sense of calm was surreal. The medical team was very cheerful and encouraging. They joked and teased Shaun, saying that he was such a handsome and brave boy.

“Just relax and go to sleep. When you wake up, everything will be okay,” said the doctors and nurses. But once Shaun went under general anesthesia, everyone sprang into action and the scene grew deathly serious. It had all been a show put on for Shaun’s sake. One of the nurses then quickly walked Jimmy out of the operating theatre.

That day, the empty hospital corridor felt like the longest walk in Jimmy’s life. He kept asking himself, “What is the meaning of this? When is this going to end? Shaun loves me so much despite all my imperfections, and now this? What is happening to my life?”

Jimmy could not stop crying while he was walking down the corridor. For the next eight hours, he paced up and down the waiting room, reflecting on the series of failures in his life—his marriage, business and finances. Now, this was happening to his beloved son. Why? Jimmy couldn’t understand it. It seemed like everything around him was falling apart.

After his operation, Shaun stayed in the hospital for seven days while the doctor sent his tumour for testing. When the results came back, the doctor called his parents personally, instead of the clerk. He asked them to meet him at his specialist clinic in the hospital.

At the hospital, the doctor said, “It seems that your son has glioblastoma multiforme.” Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and deadliest of the malignant primary brain tumours. It usually affects elderly people, 50 years and older. In the doctor’s entire career, this was only the second case he had seen. The first patient had been four years back, a 10-year-old Malay boy.

Jimmy was confused and asked what it all meant. He stopped the doctor who was blabbering some medical jargon, so he could tell Jimmy directly. That was when the doctor dropped the bomb – Shaun had last-stage brain cancer. If there was a miracle, he could live for another five years. If not, he had less than nine months to live. Jimmy will never forget this pronouncement. He could not believe that Shaun, his son, a healthy young boy was dying! Shocked and stunned, the parents burst into tears. 

Barely a week later, Shaun was in excruciating pain again. They had to rush him to the hospital. However, the news was grim; in just a few days, the tumour had started growing again. A second operation was needed, and this time, they had shave the walls of Shaun’s brain to get rid of the cancerous cells.

To Jimmy’s horror, the doctor suggested that Shaun might have to be conscious during this operation. This was to ensure that the procedure would not affect his speech and vision! What a heart-breaking moment for a father!

This happened a week before Christmas, and Jimmy knew that his children would not want to miss the festive holiday. As they wanted to celebrate as a family, they begged the doctor to postpone the operation till after Christmas. But the doctor said no, they could not afford to delay the operation. Jimmy’s family spent that Christmas in the hospital.

However, this was just the start of all hospital admissions. The hospital quickly became their second home. After the second operation, Shaun had radiotherapy twice a week: 33 sessions in all. He often had to be admitted to the hospital where he would stay for a few weeks and be discharged, only to return days later.

Throughout this ordeal, Shaun also had to go for many minor operations. For example, he had to have a tube inserted into his body to help him drain his urine out. However, despite his sufferings, Shaun handled everything well like a true fighter. Jimmy constantly reassure Shaun that he would be all right; he just had to beat cancer.

Jimmy’s life revolved around Shaun and the hospital. Every morning Jimmy would visit Shaun, go to work, visit him at lunchtime, return to work, go back to the hospital again after work and then leave at 10pm when Shaun went to bed. This went on for seven long months.

Although Shaun was in constant pain, he would still have pockets of time when he felt normal and was able to enjoy himself. In early 2004, when St Andrew’s Primary School reopened, Shaun was already too weak to go back to school. Jimmy informed his principal, Mrs Wai Yin Pryke, about his condition.

Mrs Pryke, in turn, informed the church that was within the school compound, the Church of the Ascension (COA) of Shaun’s condition. Their youth pastor, Dennis, and the youth group came down to visit Shaun and sang to him. Shaun bonded with the youths and they became regular visitors. They helped his parents watch over him during the day when they were at work.

Poor little Shaun had to endure so much pain in such a young age. As his father, Jimmy too was so broken-hearted for his son. Would life show mercy and give this family a miracle? Would Shaun beat the cancer, and come up stronger? Come and listen to their story next Thursday. Stay tuned and good bye!