Despite having gone for a major operation after being diagnosed with colon cancer last year, Chairman of the National Kidney Foundation Mr Gerard Ee, 59, looks the picture of health.

When he first knew that he had cancer, it was already in its third stage. He had five centimetres of his colon removed and went for chemotherapy 12 times.

He only realised something was wrong in November last year when he had diarrhoea continuously for one and a half weeks.

"My family has no history of colon cancer. I like to eat, and I would get occasional gastric pains, but the alarm bells rang when I kept having diarrhoea."

When he told his family that he was going for an operation three weeks later, they were shocked.

"They were shocked as it was very sudden, but also because I did not panic or seem worried."

It could be because he had always been optimistic, but he said that if he had not recovered from the operation, he would have had no regrets as he has lived a full life at 60 years old.

Fortunately the four hour operation went smoothly, and his tumour was successfully removed. He stayed at the hospital for about a week to recuperate.

His condition was kept under wraps, and even his colleagues did not realise until he started going for chemotherapy.

He started to work from home two weeks after the operation and was back at the office by the third week.

Lianhe Wanbao reports that he held press conferences and was interviewed several times last December but appeared completely healthy.

He shared his story for the Lien Foundation's Life Before Death campaign along with ex-DJ Dongfang Billy, who has leukemia.

The campaign hopes to stir "Die-logues" about the implications of death and dying, and encourage people to communicate openly about a painful topic.