Chinese singer Zhang Mi reveals third battle with cancer, will have half of her tongue removed

Chinese singer Zhang Mi, who had previously fought through tonsil cancer and oral cancer, revealed on Weibo on November 19th that she has been diagnosed with cancer for the third time. This time, she has been diagnosed with tongue cancer and is set to undergo surgery to remove half of her tongue, which means she will no longer be able to sing.

In April 2022, Zhang Mi shared a video on Weibo disclosing that she had been diagnosed with advanced stage oral cancer in 2019. She described how the cancer had invaded her entire face, making it impossible for her to eat, breathe, and gradually losing her ability to speak. She spent her days lying in a hospital bed, watching medical staff come and go, staring blankly at the IV drips.

As the cancer cells spread rapidly, Zhang Mi felt that her time was limited. She even planned her own funeral, choosing a delicate red dress and what she believed to be her most beautiful photo as her final portrait. Despite preparing for the worst, she never gave up on treatment. With chemotherapy, her condition slowly improved, and she regained the ability to speak. Despite the grueling battle against cancer, she persevered through each obstacle, proudly declaring, “I did it, I am stronger than I imagined.”

On August 10th this year, Zhang Mi joyfully announced that she had returned to being a “normal person” after surpassing the 5-year period without recurrence set by medical standards. However, just three months after this declaration, there was a significant setback in her condition. She disclosed that she would have half of her tongue removed and expressed uncertainty about her ability to speak in the future, stating that singing is definitely out of the question. She shared that the video she recorded was a temporary farewell to everyone. This year marked her 5th year of battling cancer, and medical standards indicate that reaching 5 years without recurrence signifies entering a safe period. However, a recent examination revealed a growth on her tongue, resulting in the diagnosis of tongue cancer.

At 58 years old, Zhang Mi had won the championship in a national singing competition and had performed multiple times on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. Some of her notable works include “Dedication,” “Embrace Again in the Next Life,” “Bodhi Tree,” and “Blue Night, Blue Dream.” This is her third type of cancer since being diagnosed in 2019, which is quite rare. In a sorrowful post on Weibo, she pondered, “How many hardships must one endure in life before reaching the end? Facing yet another life-and-death challenge, how will fate unfold?”