Home Iconic Articles What cancer taught Edmund about second chances

What cancer taught Edmund about second chances

Icon Writers / 10 Mar, 2025

A cancer diagnosis doesn’t just rewrite your medical records—it can change the structure of your life. It shifts the weight of your daily decisions, reframes your sense of control and forces you to confront the things you’ve pushed to the margins: mortality, faith, family and money.

For Edmund Nai, kidney cancer wasn’t just about treatment. It was about resilience—the strength to move forward, the support that carried him through, and the quiet, everyday acts of care that reminded him he wasn’t facing it alone.

Below, Edmund shares how his cancer journey helped him to see life with a sharper lens and realise that, in the end, the things that matter most have never been the things we chase the hardest, but what we had all along.

“For so long, I thought success was about work, about making money, about moving forward, but cancer forced me to take a pause in life and to rethink what was actually important… In the end, God gave me a second chance, a chance to see what really matters.”

Edmund Nai

The discovery and diagnosis The discovery and diagnosis 

It started, as these things often do, with something seemingly small and insignificant: a trip to the bathroom.

One evening in early 2024, Edmund was having dinner with his family, unwinding after another long workday. In the middle of a conversation with his wife, he excused himself to the restroom. That’s when he saw blood in his urine. No pain, no warning—just an undeniable sign that something was wrong.

“I was shocked,” he said. “There were no symptoms before that. Nothing that could’ve warned me.”

A visit to the GP led to a referral to a urologist at Mount Alvernia. An ultrasound revealed a dark mass—three-quarters the size of his kidney. The shadow was too large to ignore, and he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

The only immediate option was a nephrectomy, which is the surgical removal of his kidney, and this is often the first step in treating kidney cancer. A biopsy later confirmed it was stage 3 renal cancer. More alarmingly, the tumor had already extended into his renal veins.  

After surgery, Edmund was faced with a choice. “I could either wait and monitor every six months to see if the cancer comes back, or I could start immunotherapy—get ahead of it instead of waiting in fear,” he said.  

Neither option was simple, as one carried the weight of uncertainty, and the other, the inescapable burden of cost.  

Edmund with our Iconic team.

“Immunotherapy lowers the risk of recurrence,” Edmund said. “But it’s expensive for my current circumstances, and I’d have to do it every three weeks for a year. And when my doctor first recommended it, it wasn’t on the Cancer Drug List (CDL), so I wouldn’t get any subsidies.”  

Still, he knew that moving forward with treatment gave him the best chance at a full recovery.  

“My cancer was classified as grade 3 and 4—meaning it was aggressive,” he explained. “I knew I had to do everything I could to keep it from coming back.” 

One step back, two steps forward One step back, two steps forward 

But then, something unexpected happened. Just as Edmund began treatment, immunotherapy was added to the CDL. The cost, which was once an almost insurmountable burden, suddenly became manageable.

“For me, it was a sign,” Edmund said. “It felt like God had a plan all along.”

A year into treatment, he looks back on the experience with a newfound sense of clarity. The side effects—fatigue, skin rashes, joint pains, digestive issues—were difficult, but they were manageable. And with time, he found himself noticing the things that had always been there, just never quite so clearly.

Of course, he appreciated the kind uplifting messages he would receive from his family and friends, but he also found solace in the simple, unspoken acts of care.

“My wife, who seldom cooks, started making healthy meals for me after my surgery,” he reflected. “That meant more than words ever could.” Even short walks with friends have become a source of comfort, a way to step outside of illness, even just for a moment.  

Work, too, took on a new meaning. His employer gave him a year to rest and recover, a gesture of understanding he deeply appreciated.  

“I was lucky to have such understanding bosses and colleagues,” he admitted. “They told me to rest well and come back when you are ready. I’m truly grateful.”

The bigger picture The bigger picture 

“For so long, I thought success was about work, about making money, about moving forward,” Edmund said. “Cancer forced me to take a pause in life. To rethink what was actually important.”  

Now, luxury isn’t about possessions. It’s about time. It’s about family. It’s about being present for the people who have always been there, even when you were too busy to notice.  

“In the end, God gave me a second chance,” he said. “A chance to see what really matters.”  

A life with no regrets  

A year after his diagnosis, Edmund has come to understand beating cancer isn’t just about medicine. It’s about being bigger than the illness—about stepping outside yourself and seeing the life you’ve built from a new perspective.  

“One piece of advice?” he said. “Don’t wait. Don’t put off the things that really matter. Spend time with your family. Do the things you want to do. Make sure, at the end of the day, you don’t leave with regrets.”  

To capture this new perspective, Edmund has written a heartfelt poem titled Walking in Grace, that encapsulates his journey. Read it below:

Edmund with Dr Shang Yeap at our centre in Mount Alvernia.

Walking in Grace 

I woke to light I thought I’d lost, 
A gift unearned, a path uncrossed. 
Where once was fear, now grace remains, 
A second life through joy and pain.  

   Oh God, my strength when I was weak, 
You held me close when hope was bleak. 
You brightened the path for my extended stay, 
In love and gratitude, my penance pay.  

To you, My Love, my guiding light, 
Through every dark and restless night. 
You held my hand when I felt small, 
Your love—the greatest gift of all.  

   My family stood beside, my friends held tight, 
Their comfort and prayers through each fight. 
They walked beside me, meals and miles, 
Turning my trials into smiles. 😊  

 To healing hands in scrubs of Icon blue, 
With gentle hearts and purpose true. 
To priests and nuns whose prayers were light, 
Their faith and love my guiding sight.   

I chased the world, but now I see, 
That wealth was always here with me. 
Not in riches, not in gold, 
But in the love that I behold.  

   So here I stand, living in content, 
By God’s grace, I say “Amen” .
With those I love, I walk this way, 
Grateful for each blessed day.  

   

— Dedicated to God and all who have journeyed with me in person and/or in prayer.
By Edmund Nai

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