The thorns deep in the throat, gently removed by a slender catheter

Notes from an Indonesian Mother's Cross-Border Minimally Invasive Treatment

My name is Nurul Safitri. I'm 58 years old and from Indonesia. Just over a month ago, I began to feel an unexplained pain in my throat. Even swallowing a piece of coarse flatbread felt as though a razor blade was scraping my throat, and each day it became harder to swallow. After undergoing an endoscopy and biopsy at Tarakan Hospital in Jakarta, the doctor looked at me with a heavy expression and quietly said the words that changed everything: "Hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma." In that instant, it felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the room. I gripped my husband's arm so tightly that my fingernails nearly dug into his skin. Fear washed over me like a wave of ice. My sister had lost her battle with breast cancer, and now that same monster had finally come knocking at my own door.

CT image of the patient at initial diagnosis

The doctors in Indonesia recommended surgery. But after learning more about the procedure, I discovered that an operation in this part of the throat would be highly invasive. It could mean removing part of my larynx, leaving me with permanent changes to my voice and even affecting my ability to swallow. The thought of never again speaking clearly with my son over the phone, or chatting with my neighbors over a cup of tea, was something I simply couldn't accept. Yet the tumor was there, blocking my throat, reminding me of its presence with every painful swallow. Just as my family and I were feeling completely lost, a friend who had once traveled to China for medical treatment told us about Huanya Hospital in Chengdu. He said the hospital was home to some of China's leading interventional specialists, experts in treating tumors like mine with minimally invasive techniques instead of open surgery, and that they had extensive experience caring for international patients.

With nothing to lose, we decided to give it a try. Through the hospital's website, we were connected with an Indonesian-speaking international patient coordinator. She had the gentlest voice and patiently helped me organize all of my medical records. Soon afterward, she arranged a complimentary cross-border online consultation with Associate Chief Physician He Weibing. During the video call, Dr He explained my condition in simple, reassuring terms. "This tumor is being fed by several tiny arteries, much like the roots of a thorny bush," he said. "There's no need to open your throat. We make only a tiny puncture in the groin, guide a thin catheter through the blood vessels to the arteries supplying the tumor, deliver the chemotherapy directly into them, and then block those vessels. In other words, we eliminate the roots of the weeds while leaving the healthy field untouched." He also told me that because my cancer had been detected at a relatively early stage, combining this treatment with localized radiotherapy afterwards offered an excellent chance of bringing the disease under control. As I listened to him, the weight that had been pressing on my chest since my diagnosis finally began to lift.

From that moment on, my journey to China for treatment felt as though I was being guided by a steady, caring hand every step of the way. The hospital helped us fast-track our visa application, and when we landed in Chengdu, an international patient coordinator was already waiting at the arrival gate, holding a welcome sign in Indonesian. She greeted me with a warm smile and an embrace that instantly made me feel at ease. The moment I walked into my room, I was struck by the quiet, private atmosphere. The clean scent of the ward was softened by a hint of fresh flowers, and on the bedside table was an Indonesian-language guide to Chengdu. It was such a thoughtful gesture—one that crossed cultures and made my eyes well up with tears. My procedure was scheduled for that evening. I walked into the interventional suite on my own, and after receiving only a local anaesthetic in my groyne, I remained fully awake throughout the treatment. Professor Liao and Dr He performed the procedure with remarkable precision and gentle care. I could barely feel the catheter moving through my blood vessels, and in less than ninety minutes, I was comfortably back in my room. It was nothing like the major surgery I had imagined. The care afterwards touched me just as deeply. Because swallowing was still uncomfortable, the dietitian prepared warm, soft meals tailored to my needs. The nurses came regularly to help me with ankle-pump exercises to promote circulation, and they used gestures and translation apps to ask whether I had slept well or needed anything. Their kindness and attention to every detail transformed a hospital room in a foreign country into a place that truly felt like home.

My recovery after the minimally invasive procedure was faster than I ever imagined. By the second day, the swelling in my throat had eased considerably. I was already able to sit up in bed and video call my family, reassuring them in a voice that was still slightly hoarse but clear. On the fifth day after the procedure, all of my test results were stable, and the doctors smiled as they told me I was ready to go home. They recommended that I return two weeks later for a course of precisely targeted radiotherapy to consolidate the treatment results. As I walked out of the hospital, the gentle winter sunshine of Chengdu warmed my face. I took a deep breath—and for the first time in a long while, I could breathe and swallow with ease. It was a simple moment, but to me, it felt like getting my life back.

CT image after minimally invasive treatment at our hospital, showing complete resolution of the lesion.

I want to thank every doctor, nurse, and member of the team at Huanya Hospital. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You not only preserved my ability to speak and eat through your minimally invasive expertise but also restored my confidence for the future through the compassion and care you showed across cultures and borders. Because of you, I can once again look forward to growing old, surrounded by my children and, one day, my grandchildren.

To every woman who, like me, is facing cancer with fear and uncertainty, I want to say this: don't let fear keep you from making a decision, and don't believe that major surgery is your only option. If you can find a medical team like the one at Huanya Hospital in Chengdu—one that combines world-class minimally invasive treatment with genuine cross-cultural care—you may discover that the road to hope is far gentler and far wider than you ever imagined.