If You Think the Water Is Cold : A Cancer Survivor's Story

For many, the diagnosis of cancer begins the last chapter; but for Tan Siew Khim, it led to an entirely new book. To face cancer, you need the help of both science and nature, as well as the support of family and friends. But as Siew Khim knows, a cancer patient must also rely on her own inner strengths—a strong spirit and a positive attitude.

After facing her initial fears and conquering her reaction to “leave this world quietly,” Siew Khim decided that she wasn’t ready to quit this just yet. She embraced the different forms of medicine and treatments available. When she was invited to Sun Island Shanghai to convalesce, Siew Khim discovered the power of wellness activities such as mindfulness meditation and laughter yoga. This is where she met—and inspired—her biographer, Lee Sok Lian.

Siew Khim’s uplifting story of recovery isn’t merely a tale of getting back what she once had, but of moving forward to create an expansive new life. Learning the English language at the age of fifty, along with a myriad of other skills such as swimming, dancing, yoga, laughter yoga and photography, Siew Khim saw her life growing rather than ending. Her story will inspire you to live likewise.

Lee Sok Lian holds a BA (Hons) in English Literature from the National Uiversity of Singapore, and though she worked as a copywriter for four years in her late twenties, she has been an English teacher-her first love and true calling-for most of her life.

Less than ten years ago, she was introduced to meditation and began taking courses in healing, Reiki, Quantum Touch, laughter yoga, hypnotherapy, relaxation techniques, and other meditation subjects, including a two-month stint at the Hypnotherapy Academy of America, where she learned from Tim Simmerman. That's when her life took a surprising turn: instead of returning to Singapore, she was asked to transfer to Sun Island Shanghai to use her newfound healing skills in addition to her teaching skills.

Now, she is the resident meditation and laughter yoga teacher of Sun Island. She is also the editor of the English section of The Mahota Quarterly and teaches conversational English as well as personal mastery classes.