In a ward at Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital, Jose (pseudonym) from the Philippines lies half-reclined on his bed. Though thin in appearance, he still carries a handsome charm, and a long-lost sparkle has returned to his eyes. His two daughters sit quietly by his side. Such ordinary companionship had once felt like an impossible luxury to them just a few months ago.
“At that time, I felt like an over-steamed vegetable — soft and weak, unable to do anything,” Jose said slowly in English with a slight accent. “But now, I can take care of myself. I can even go to the bathroom on my own.”
Fifteen years ago, Jose was diagnosed with prostate cancer after experiencing frequent urination and blood in his urine. Because the tumor was too large for radical surgery, he could only undergo transurethral resection and long-term hormone therapy. Even so, urination remained difficult and he had to rely on a catheter.
Life went on cautiously day by day — until March 2025, when a PET-CT scan shattered the fragile calm: multiple bone metastases throughout his body.
Pain in his neck, back, and waist grew worse. Local doctors prescribed zoledronic acid for bone protection, but fluctuating kidney indicators suggested a risk of kidney damage. While caring for their father, Jose’s daughters searched online for new hope. A post about Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital’s cryoablation technology caught their attention.
“We contacted the hospital’s Philippine Service Center and consulted online with Dr. Feng Xilin from the Second Medical Department,” one daughter recalled. “Dr. Feng carefully reviewed my father’s condition and suggested adjusting his medications first before further treatment.”
With a mix of anxiety and hope, the family flew across the sea to Guangzhou.
When Jose first arrived at Fuda, he was extremely weak — unable to stand steadily, with blurred vision, and suffering from hyponatremia. “It felt like my whole body had collapsed,” he said. After a comprehensive evaluation, the medical team decided that he was not suitable for cryoablation at the moment and adjusted his treatment plan with more appropriate medications.
At the same time, doctors introduced him to a new treatment option — Strontium-89.
Strontium-89 (Strontium Chloride [⁸⁹Sr]) is a radioactive drug that selectively accumulates in active bone metastases and releases beta particles to deliver localized radiation, thereby relieving bone pain. In simple terms, it works like a “special agent with satellite navigation,” precisely targeting bone metastases and striking them accurately.
Jose decided to give it a try.
The treatment process was not complicated. Afterward, he returned to the Philippines with medication and a detailed rehabilitation plan. And quietly, change began to happen.
His pain gradually eased. His appetite returned. Most amazingly, his weight increased from 45 kg to 51 kg in just 18 days. He could even get up and go to the bathroom by himself — something he had been unable to do not long before, when he once fell there and hit his head due to weakness.
Follow-up examinations brought more good news: his tumor marker PSA had dropped, the prostate lesion had shrunk, and signals from some bone metastases had weakened.
“I’m eating so well now!” Jose said in a video, holding up a piece of meat with great satisfaction. His daughter recorded the moment and shared it with the medical staff at Fuda.
During his hospitalization, whenever Jose felt unwell or in pain, the medical team always responded immediately, solving problems with professional expertise and warm care. His daughters summed up the Fuda team with three “very’s”:
“Very helpful, very friendly, and very timely.”
At Fuda, Jose also experienced traditional Chinese medicine. Though he frowned at the bitter taste of herbal medicine, the improvement in his condition encouraged him to persist.
“Good medicine tastes bitter — that saying is absolutely true,” he said. He even became interested in Chinese therapeutic massage and wanted to explore it further.
So far, Jose has completed two rounds of Strontium-89 treatment. He no longer sees himself as a patient, but as an ordinary person still enjoying life. One of his daughters, who accompanied him for treatment, also had a health check at Fuda and decided to receive treatment for her own gynecological condition here.
“What Fuda gave me is not just a treatment plan,” Jose said.
“It’s a chance to start over. They truly stand in the patient’s shoes and help us find the most suitable path forward.”
From the Philippines to Guangzhou, from being bedridden to regaining independence — Jose’s story is about new life sprouting after pain, and about this truth:
No matter how far the journey, there will always be people willing to protect the warmth of life for you.