Taiwanese Star Suzanne Hsiao Was Diagnosed With Rare Cancer Last Year And Had To Remove Several Internal Organs

​When Taiwanese singer-actress Suzanne Hsiao made her showbiz debut in the late '90s, she was quickly hailed as one of the industry’s most promising young stars. However, like many tragic tales of celebs falling from grace, she destroyed her life, career, and reputation when she was arrested three times for various drug offences.

​Fortunately, after years of being in and out of prison, she’s now completely drug-free and has been keeping a relatively low profile.

Last Saturday (Apr 4), the 43-year-old did a live stream on Facebook, where she revealed that she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer a year ago.

According to Suzanne, she suddenly felt a very sharp pain in her abdominal area in February last year. Although she initially brushed it off as a muscle strain, her family urged her to go to the hospital for a check-up.

It’s a good thing she listened to them, because doctors discovered an 8.7cm-long malignant tumour in her duodenum, the first section of the small intestine.

Suzanne then underwent about nine months of targeted therapy, which made her face swell up and affected her menstrual cycle. However, it worked, because the medicine caused the tumour to shrink to less than half of its original size, and in February this year, Suzanne went for a six-hour operation to remove it once and for all.

The good news is that the procedure was a success and Suzanne is now recovering well.

The bad news is that the tumour wasn’t the only thing that was excised. A third of her stomach and duodenum were also removed, as well as her gallbladder, bile duct and the head of her pancreas.

After her surgery, Suzanne spent two days in the ICU hooked up to all kinds of tubes, including a urinary catheter, IV drip, blood transfusion tubes, and surgical drains. She was then transferred to a general ward, where she stayed for another 20 days.

It was all too much for her poor husband Liang Xuan An, who is 15 years her junior, to bear, but he stayed by her side to help out in any way he could. The experience brought the couple even closer together, and Suzanne happily declared that she married the right man.

​Now, Suzanne is watching her diet carefully by eating small, low-fibre meals and staying away from anything fatty and deep-fried. She also has to go for check-ups once every three months to make sure she’s really in the clear.

Despite everything that she’s been through, Suzanne said that she feels very lucky. “When I was sick, I was taken care of by so many people. I also received a lot of blessings from my friends and family,” she recalled. “I hope everyone out there takes good care of themselves.”