Wang Ying, a Chinese woman, postponed surgery recommended by doctors to treat thyroid cancer and instead chose to fulfil a long-held dream of travelling to Antarctica to photograph penguins. When she returned, a new examination found that the tumour had shrunk and that she could continue medical monitoring without undergoing the operation at that time.
Wang’s diagnosis and her journey to Antarctica
Her story began in 2013, when she was preparing to retire from her administrative job at a school in Kunming, southwestern China. At that stage, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and doctors recommended surgery, but as she stood on the threshold of a new phase in her life, she decided to take a long-awaited trip to Antarctica. Wang, now 67, knew the journey would be difficult and expensive.
Even so, she spent about 150,000 Chinese yuan, or approximately $21,000, equal to her savings at the time, on a month-long trip. Her aim was not simply to visit Antarctica or take souvenir photographs, but to document a specific scene involving penguins. Wang wanted to photograph a female penguin returning to feed her chick.
In freezing weather, amid snow and wind, she waited until she was able to capture the moment she had planned. The trip was an extension of a longstanding passion for photography that had begun in her youth and was not a passing activity associated with her retirement or illness. When Wang was 21, her father gave her a camera to encourage her to develop her talent.
Although her work at the school remained her main profession for many years, photography continued to be part of her life as a hobby and passion that stayed with her into retirement. After the trip ended and she returned from Antarctica, Wang went to hospital for another examination of the tumour.
The doctor told her that it had become smaller than in the previous examination and that she no longer needed surgery at that time, with the option of continuing to monitor her condition and receive medical follow-up. According to Wang, the result marked a turning point in her outlook on life, giving her new hope and encouraging her to continue travelling and taking photographs rather than dwelling on her experience of illness.
No evidence links the trip to the tumour’s shrinkage
However, the tumour’s shrinkage after her return does not prove that travelling or fulfilling her wish caused the change, as there is no published medical evidence establishing a causal link between the trip and the reduction in tumour size. Psychological care is an important part of dealing with cancer, as emotional support can help ease stress, improve quality of life and address the challenges of treatment.
But Wang’s experience is not a treatment prescription, nor does it make travel a substitute for medical care or follow-up with doctors. After retiring, Wang gave photography a larger role in her daily life. Rather than limiting her trips to her free time, she began devoting more time to field photography, travelling among China’s natural areas in search of birds and wildlife to document through her lens.
Photography trips extend to more than 30 countries
Wang has no plans to stop travelling as long as her health allows. She has spoken of plans to visit the United States, Peru and areas of Africa, continuing to discover new places and photograph what she sees. She says that visiting many countries and seeing the scenes she encountered made her more accepting of life and less preoccupied with matters that had previously caused her concern.
