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Through grit, grace, and a big dose of humour, pancreatic cancer survivor Brigid Pang shared how she fought the battle and embraced life after.

When Brigid Pang first felt the dull pain in her lower back and abdomen in 2022, she brushed it off as indigestion or the toll of ageing. “Everyone around me had back pain too,” she recalls. “So I didn’t think it was special.” But when the pain didn’t go away, and a nudge from her pastor finally pushed her to get it checked, she was met with a life-altering diagnosis: pancreatic cancer, stage 2B.

“The moment I heard the words, it was like time slowed down. I felt as though I had been pulled into another world, separate from the people around me. I thought, ‘Is this the end?’”

Thankfully, it wasn’t. After nine months of treatment including chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy, Brigid pulled through, bolstered by the unwavering support of her husband, family and friends, her deep faith, and a strong will to live. During the journey, Brigid, who was known for her cheongsam boutique business, had to shutter her flagship outlet at Centrepoint and trust her longtime staff to run the shop at another mall.

And as she rebuilt her life after cancer, she picked up powerful lessons along the way. Now in recovery, Brigid shares seven deeply personal tips, not just for surviving cancer, but for living well in its aftermath.

#1 Don’t Google it

“The survival statistics online are terrifying,” she says. “Friends who googled my diagnosis were devastated. My sister told me, ‘Don’t Google it. Focus on the treatment.’”

Brigid chose to shield herself from negativity, channelling her energy instead into healing. “Don’t waste energy imagining worst-case scenarios. Put that energy into getting well.”

#2 “Feed the chicken inside you!”

With chemotherapy, taste buds are altered, and loss of appetite is common. But maintaining a healthy weight is important to good treatment outcomes.

“So I told myself, my stomach is a little chicken and I must feed it,” Brigid said. “I found tricks to make eating less daunting. I stacked the food so that the portions looked more manageable. Then I keep a glass of warm water with some lemon to help with swallowing. I saw eating as a mission and pushed through even when I felt like vomiting.”

Laughing, she shared, “I’m tamjiak (Hokkien: greedy) by nature! So I used that to my advantage!”

#3 Plan for healthy fats

Battling weight loss is a challenge for every cancer patient. So Brigid made it a point to include healthy fats and proteins in each meal. “I ate fish every day. I blended avocado smoothies with ice. Every night before sleeping, I would take a tablespoon or two of olive oil,” Brigid advised. “Each meal included at least a palm-sized portion of protein, which I alternated for variety. You have to be strategic about what your body needs.”

#4 Create a routine and stick to it

Having cancer can be an emotional rollercoaster. “Creating a routine helps a lot to structure my day,” said Brigid. She built her day around her mealtimes: breakfast at 9am, lunch at 12pm, tea at 4pm, and dinner at 7pm, and her nightly olive oil intake. “It was not just about food. It was about grounding myself with something predictable and with a clear purpose.”

#5 Sneak exercise into your daily routine

“I’m not a fan of exercise. I can’t make myself attend exercise classes or go to a gym!” Brigid confessed. But as her doctor advised, having regular exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of recurrences in breast and colon cancers, and may help her too.

Instead, she turned movement into a lifestyle. She walked between errands, added steps to her commute and made sure she clocked 30 minutes to an hour a day. “Don’t overthink exercise. Just build it into your day.”

#6 Prep your veggies

Getting through cancer treatment is just the start. The longer haul is rebuilding daily habits, especially what and how you eat. For pancreatic cancer survivors, blood-sugar control matters as they are at higher risk for diabetes. So having a diet with more fibre to reduce carbohydrate intake became non-negotiable for Brigid.

“It is SO challenging to find fibre when you eat out! So now I prep my steamed vegetables and salads in advance: roasted sweet potatoes, capsicums, multicolour greens, and fruit! I bring a box of salad everywhere I go,” she quipped. When she travels, she hits the supermarkets to buy vegetables and assembles her own salads. “Funnily, once your body gets used to it, you won’t even crave unhealthy food anymore!’

#7 Find your support, even after the fight is over

“Recovery isn’t just physical,” Brigid says. “One day, I looked at an old photo of myself and burst into tears.” Her husband was puzzled, but Brigid realised she was grieving the old version of herself. “I was telling ‘her’ goodbye. Cancer changed me. I’m still bubbly, but I don’t have the same energy. I struggled a lot emotionally.”

Chancing upon a cancer support group helped. “Talking to people who really understand. It made a huge difference, especially in the first two years.”

“Having cancer set me free. I used to hyper-focus on my business and daily demands. I love my business but it comes with so much stress as well. Now I care for myself first. I’ve learnt to say no, let go, and find joy in small things, even my wavy post-chemo hair. Life feels like a permanent holiday now.”
- Brigid Pang

This story recounts a personal experience and does not substitute medical advice. Always consult your healthcare team to find out what is right for your stage of care or recovery.