Meet the Prof

Some of my biggest insecurities while growing up stem from the
uncertainties that lay ahead in life. Life seemed so unpredictable; I
never knew if I'd graduate from high school, let alone college, if my
friends would continue to like me, if I'd find a wife, or even if I'd
live past thirty. Being raised in a Catholic family, going to Mass
every Sunday, even faithfully saying my prayers every night before
bedtime, I was well aware that the uncertainties of life were part and
parcel of God's handiwork. I just didn't know if I could trust that He
had my best in mind.

I attended Catholic elementary and high schools in Malaysia, where I
grew up. I moved to Adelaide, Australia, in 1982 to attend my final
two years of high school, also in a Catholic school. The uncertainty
of a new environment took its toll on my spirits. Through friendships
with Christian international students, I started reading the Bible on
my own and attending weekly fellowship meetings.

Though I had often prayed to God ever since I was a child,
I did not have an intimate relationship with Him, nor did I know much
of what was written in the Bible. But through learning I realized
the possibility of a personal and intimate relationship with God through
Christ. I yearned for this relationship, committing my life and future
to Him with the knowledge of His faithfulness that I came to know through
the Bible.

All through my years of college and graduate school, I continued to grow
in my spiritual walk with Christ, deepening my personal relationship
with Him, and trusting Him for everything. I served actively in several
Christian leadership and ministry roles. I married Yat-Yee in 1988.
I received my Ph.D. from Princeton in 1991, and joined Purdue University
as a professor. The uncertainties of life no longer seemed like such a
big deal. I knew that God always has my best in mind.

In early 1994, I woke up one morning to find a lump in my right leg. Due
to various circumstances, it was not until May 1994 that I was
diagnosed with a sarcoma, a relatively rare form of cancer. The
published prognosis for my particular type and stage of tumor was not
bright: less than a 25% five-year survivorship. I was 28 years old.

My cancer treatment that followed lasted more than seven intensive
months, with several surgical procedures, including an operation to
remove one of my right quadriceps, physical therapy to help me use my
leg again, followed by radiation therapy, and finally chemotherapy.
This ordeal was arguably more difficult to endure for my wife, Yat-Yee,
and my family than it was for me. During my treatments, a complication
with a catheter that was used to deliver chemotherapy drugs into my heart
developed into a condition known as septic shock. I spent several days
in the intensive care unit, where doctors monitored my internal organs
for possible permanent damage. While I have no direct memory of the
incident (except my stay at the intensive care unit), I was later told
that my chance of survival through that event was only 50%, with a risk,
even if I survived, of permanent damage to the heart, lung, or brain.
As far as I can tell, no significant damage persists.

It has been many years since I was diagnosed with cancer. Typically,
even five years is considered a significant milestone for cancer survivors. As
I look back, I find it strange that I never thought to ask "why." Indeed,
"why not" seemed a more appropriate response. Life is unpredictable,
and I can live with that because of the person of Jesus Christ. He has
my best in mind; only God knows what that truly means. All I know is
that I trust Him with my life, a life that is eternal, a gift from Him.