A

 anti-oxidants
help prevent free radical damage linked to cancer

B

 better
what you become after treatment

C

 camaraderie
what you get from support groups

D

 dysphagia
difficulty in swallowing

E

 Epstein-Barr virus
an NPC marker

F

 faith
sustains you, especially in difficult moments

G

 gumption
the confidence and courage needed to fight NPC

H

hand-holding
helps you meet difficulties head-on

I

indomitable
what you need to be the whole way

J

 journey
starts at diagnosis, never ends

K

 knowledge
helps you better manage NPC

L

 lease
you get a new one after treatment

M

 motivation
keeps you going after diagnosis

N

 nasopharynx
the part of the throat that connects to the nose

O

 oncologists
the cancer doctors caring for you

P

 patience
needed for senses lost during RT to return

Q

 qigong
helps relieve/recover bodily functions impaired by treatment

R

 rest
important ingredient in the recovery process

S

 support
especially vital during treatment and recovery

T

 TCM
helps lessen/alleviate side effects of treatment

U

 ulcers
occur during RT but go away eventually

V

 vigour
what you should aim to achieve post-treatment

W

 weight
drops during treatment, regained during recovery

X

 xerostomia
dry mouth resulting from reduced or nil saliva flow

Y

 years
what you hope to have many more of

Z

 zest
something you should never be short of

Note: Inspired by the song A is for Allah by Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), who had written the song to teach his young daughter the Arabic alphabet.

Read on to find out more about the Nose Cancer (NPC) Support group​.