Taiwanese singer Yu Tian on daughter’s battle with cancer: ‘She begged me to let her go’
His 38-year-old daughter, who is also a singer, has been battling colorectal cancer for the past eight years. The mother of two suffered three relapses and has undergone almost 70 rounds of chemotherapy treatment.
Yu Tian in happier times with his daughter Yuan-chi and wife Li Ya-peng. (Photo: Sohu)
Taiwanese crooner Yu Tian’s 38-year-old daughter Yuan-chi’s health has further deteriorated. The singer and mother of two has been battling colorectal cancer for the past eight years. According to Chinese news media, she suffered three relapses over the years and has undergone almost 70 rounds of chemotherapy treatment.
A former legislator, Yu was on the way to a political conference when he received news that his daughter’s condition had taken a turn for the worse on Thursday (Aug 18).
The 74-year-old told Taiwanese reporters that she has been drifting in and out of consciousness. "She gestured to me and begged me to let her go. But how could I bear to do so?” he said in tears.
When asked for his response, the singer said, "I told her no and she gestured to me again to say 'please, just let me go'. How could I be so cruel?"
Yuan-chi's manager told reporters that she is suffering from hydronephrosis, a swelling of the kidneys due to a build-up of urine.
Yu Tian's wife, fellow veteran singer Li Ya-ping, was also seen in tears at the hospital, Apple Daily Taiwan reported.
In Jul, Li divulged that doctors told her that nothing more could be done, and that her daughter was at a critical stage. The cancer cells have spread to other parts of her body, rendering chemotherapy useless.
"Her thigh and calves are about as thick as our arms now. It really breaks my heart," Li said.
Yu Tian, who became a household name in the Taiwanese entertainment scene with the 1977 Mandarin classic Under the Banyan Tree, suffered a mild stroke last year. The star admitted that excessive worrying about his daughter’s condition attributed to his health scare.
