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Comic artist's exceptional fight against tumor

By Zhang Rui: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, June 29, 2012

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Xiang Yao, pseudonym "Bearton", is receiving treatment in a Beijing hospital. [China.org.cn]

A young Chinese artist has been battling a malignant tumor in her own way: creating a comic strip chronicling her life and treatment.

Xiang Yao, a 30-year-old comic strip artist from Zhejiang Province, has become famous in China since her conditions were revealed to the media earlier this year.

Xiang is known on the web by her pseudonym "Bearton," which she says came from the popular story about "an apple falls on Isaac Newton's head." "Once upon a time I was in office I drew a small bear, but there was too much blank space on the paper, so I added an apple," She explained. "Then I thought of Newton story, so I called myself 'Bearton!'"

Xiang graduated in 2001 and worked for a time as fashion designer in Shanghai. Moving to Beijing in 2010, she worked as art designer in a company. Life was not all she expected; after she had moved into her new house and started to settle down, her roommates stole her computer. Then, landlord asked her to leave. She also changed jobs several times.

Unfortunately, more serious problems awaited Xiang. She fell ill in August 2011, suffering for weeks before finally collapsing beside her bed on August 21.

Her roommate soon called for help and she was taken to the hospital. When Xiang woke up, she didn't think the condition was that serious. But when the diagnosis came out, everybody around her started to feel helpless. A malignant lymphoma was found in her body, the size of which was larger than her heart. One of her friends, who required anonymity for this interview, said the doctor told that she was in serious danger and asked Xiang's parents to come to Beijing from Zhejiang Province immediately.

Without knowing much about her condition, Xiang agreed to begin the painful journey of treating her disease. She often had to lie in bed all day to receive transfusions, having to use a bedpan instead of the toilet. Before chemotherapy, she often threw up; after the chemotherapy, she didn't want to eat. Her hair also started to fall out.

Xiang said she reached her seventh phase of chemotherapy before she started to understand how grave her condition was. However, her will to fight the disease still remains strong. "The scare has long passed, so I really don't feel anything now. Maybe that's how I keep such a positive attitude!"

Bearton created several moderately successful comic books in the past, mainly about teenage love, weight-loss and living the single life. Many stories were based on her own experience.

To kill time for the boring time during the treatment, she decided to chronicle these darkest hours of her life in a much lighter and amusing way. So she created the comic series "F*** Off, Mr. Tumor!"

The comic creation gave her strength. After she published the lovable stories on Feb. 2, 2012 on the popular online message board Tianya.cn and social networking sites, network traffic exploded. Millions of viewers read Xiang's posts, catapulting her to instant fame. Reporters flocked to her hospital to interview her.

"This comic is a record of my life," Xiang said. "I hope my drawings can amuse people and I hope it can bring positive energy to me and to others. I feel so happy that they can enjoy it."

Xiang said her unexpected celebrity due to the strip hasn't affected her life too much. "Right now, I'm continuing to receive treatment; I'm hoping to live. When I recover, I plan to write more comics!" she said.

But the attention did ease some of her pain and her family's economic burden. A dream fund campaign to help Xiang was organized, which eventually raised 330,000 yuan (US$51,838), far more than she and her friends expected.

Bearton has also already presold 4,000 copies of her new book, which carries the same name has as the comic strip.

"I'm so inspired that I received so much attention so much care from my family, friends and fans," she said. "I feel I appreciate people around me more, and I will have a much more tolerant and grateful attitude for the rest of my life."

As of April, Xiang temporarily suspended her treatment to rest at home in Zhejiang. Although hope of recovery seemed in reach, her May 15 test results were not optimistic. She is currently back in Beijing and has started an 11th phase of chemotherapy treatment. Despite the continuing struggle against the disease, she remains strong.

"When I recover, the first thing I would like to do is travel. I've been in the hospital too long."

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