A journey armed with courage

A trip up Mount Kinabalu is a lesson in personal tenacity and the strength of collective support, writes

Successful Kinabalu climbers, (from left) Chan, Muaz, Chong Siao Lee, Timothy Dharvind Denis, Zhou, Vemanna Appannah, Natdanai, Hanita Hanim, Chong Kam Kok and Dr Timothy Cheng. blessed to have made it that far, and I’m already planning to try again.

BEST, HEALTHIEST LIVES

The Kadazan Dusun people of Sabah consider Mount Kinabalu sacred. And after the 2015 earthquake that took the lives of 18 mountain guides and climbers, I felt there was an extra sense of poignancy to the ascend, as well as wariness.

Death and disaster can strike anytime, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from living their best, healthiest lives.

Chan Chee Kun, 47, from Ipoh, Perak was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in August 2015. On the night prior to our climb, he told us: “I was feeling very low for about six months. But then I went through some things and I started to read.

“In one book, the author said, ‘I have this disease and it means I’m going to die. But everybody is going to die sooner or later. Just that my chances of dying may be faster than yours. But perhaps, also, your death may be faster than mine’.”

Chan was a smoker, but no longer. He is on targeted oral therapy, and aside from his cancer, seems to be in good health. He