After 13 years of flying as a Singapore Airlines (SIA) leading steward, Adrian Toh felt the time was right for change. 

However, what he didn't expect was for his health condition to change as well.

The former cabin crew had his eyes set on pursuing a career as a full-time self-employed real estate agent. But as fate would have it, this career switch was not as smooth sailing as he expected.

In May, Adrian began coughing "non-stop" and it reached a point where his sleep was affected. 

"Since I'm going to quit my job, perhaps I should go do a full body check-up," he thought.

Adrian did not think much of this decision back then, but looking back, he must be thanking his lucky stars he did. 

The 41-year-old quit his SIA job in early June and two days later, the medical reports were out.

Adrian could still remember the phone call regarding the release of said results.

"[The] doctor needs you to come down now, straight away," Adrian recalled.

That was in June and barely a month later, he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and had begun treatment.

Adrian recently sat down with AsiaOne to have an open conversation about his life journey thus far, from soaring heights with SIA to learning about his health condition and raising awareness on lung cancer online.

Exploring the world with SIA

After his studies, Adrian worked in both the banking and advertising line.

But the typical nine-to-five work environment did not satisfy him and the Malaysian-born Singaporean was on the lookout for a different experience.

He'd always wanted to pursue a career in flying and having coming across an SIA job advertisement in the newspaper, Adrian figured out why not give it a shot.

That was back in 2010 when Adrian was 29 and he recalled how mentally draining the full-day interview process was.

For the uninformed, cabin crew job applications aren't simply about answering interview questions.

Adrian told AsiaOne how these interviews would include a catwalk as well as checks on an applicant's height, weight and skin condition. 

"We started at about nine and finished about seven or eight at night. If I remember [correctly], it was three to four rounds of interviews and interactions," he said.

By the end of the day, he was joining one of the most illustrious airlines in the world.

The thought alone had him excited.

Back in Malaysia, flying was seen as a privilege as one would "need a lot of money" to do so. 

During his tenure with the national carrier, Adrian visited well over 60 cities.

While Japan holds a special place in his heart when it comes to travelling, he's a big fan of London and Paris too.

"There's just too many things to do," he added, in reference to the food, culture and shopping available in the above-mentioned cities.

Twist of fate

Every chapter eventually comes to an end and having provided 13 years of his life to SIA, it was time to move on.

In a drastic twist of fate, the following chapter of Adrian's life included painful conversations with loved ones and chemotherapy sessions.

Results from his health report left doctors alarmed as they warned him of a potential cancer diagnosis.

A lung specialist was called in to conduct a biopsy and a couple of weeks after the initial health check-up, Adrian's cancer diagnosis was confirmed.

"Of all things, why do I have lung cancer?" the non-smoker said.

However, he admitted that he had little time to process the news back then.

"To be honest, I wasn't like sad or anything," Adrian stated. It was simply "just another thing" that needed to be dealt with.

Having this mentality seem to help him compartmentalise what life was throwing at him.

The plan was to get the cancer treated and take it one step at a time.

Breaking this news to his loved ones proved to be the toughest part though.

Being the only child from a single-parent family based in Sibu, Sarawak, Adrian flew back to visit his mum and update her on his health condition.

Adrian called it the first stage of coming to terms with the cancer. 

"To tell them that you're sick [was] not enjoyable. Not something I want to do again," he said solemnly.

His retiree mum, 63, has been taking care of him in Singapore since his first chemotherapy session in July.

Making sense of a son's cancer diagnosis couldn't have been easy and Adrian mentioned how grateful he is to have his mother as a pillar of love and support.

At the time of writing, Adrian has completed five chemotherapy sessions and his cancerous area has shrunk by roughly 60 to 70 per cent.

Since his diagnosis, Adrian has made a relatively drastic change in his diet. This wasn't based on any medical advice or instruction by any means.

It's an example of an individual taking agency in tackling his cancer treatment.

So nowadays, Adrian consciously makes an effort to avoid refined sugar, shellfish and fried food.

He'd typically start his day with overnight oats while lunch could be a sandwich or noodles. More often than not, dinner is rice with steamed vegetables and fish.

'It doesn't rule my entire life'

On his TikTok page, Adrian posts content about his recovery such as trips to chemotherapy sessions or cancer fighting tips.

He's keen on raising awareness about his condition and feels that there's "nothing to be ashamed of".

The feedback he's gotten online has been both surprising and overwhelming to him. In fact, Adrian learned that some of his past colleagues are also battling cancer.

What many may not know is that stage four cancer should not be seen as a death sentence. 

Adrian's oncologist states that his diagnosis can be categorised as "curable" and should be treated like a chronic disease instead.

"It doesn't rule my entire life. I just need to get on with life while treating my cancer as well, just like any disease or illness," Adrian said.

For him, it's all about mindset and "taking control" of the situation.

To fellow cancer battlers, Adrian encourages them to also live life with no regrets.

"Never give up. Believe that there'll be a day when everything will be okay," the now Huttons real-estate agent says.

ALSO READ: Singaporean zillennial shares how her first health check-up led to early thyroid cancer diagnosis in viral TikTok clip

amierul@asiaone.com

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