Opinion | Breast cancer blog: Passport therapy - Edward Snowden and I

Passport therapy rarely fails. I’ve used it before when reaching a complex career crossroads or to nurse a broken heart.

This time I turned to passport therapy as a temporary escape from Cancerland, and to briefly leave behind fears and anxieties related to treatment.

Maybe it is a bad idea. Maybe I should be resting more according to the aunt. I should be in bed. I should be on a microbiotic diet, or meditating. Instead I am headed to the airport, first to Taipei, then to Bali.

I have permission to escape because I now have a date. A week ago the folks at the hospital rang – nice young man from the government hospital. July 2, post-handover anniversary, I have a date with the oncologist and then the radiation round (five days a week for three weeks) starts.

Even in Cancerland, there are deadlines and much of the experience feels like work. There are, of course, moments of anger (why me?) to disbelief (no, this can’t be real). Being sick and getting well is almost a second job, one that takes precedence over all other things, including a cross-continental move back to the US and starting a doctoral programme. These massive projects seem almost petty in the scope of disease. After all, if you need to fight for survival and have been diagnosed with one of the most feared illnesses, nothing else matters.

So where to Ms Wu? A student of mine inquires.

This time I joined colleagues to Taipei – land of cheap and yummy street food, and polite people.