VANCOUVER, July 17 – Chinese singer-songwriter Qu Wanting, best known for her hit song You Exist in My Song (My Song), has revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic and underwent a mastectomy largely on her own.
The singer, who recently released her first album in nine years, Love Letter, shared her story in an interview with Canadian media outlet Fête Chinoise, explaining for the first time why she had stepped away from the public eye for so long.
Qu said she discovered a lump in her left breast in 2020 and sought medical attention. Doctors later informed her that it was a tumour, leaving her shocked.
"My first thought was, 'Does this mean I have cancer?'" she recalled. "I was still young and couldn't believe something like this could happen to me."
After undergoing an initial surgery to remove the lump, pathology results showed that around 70% of the tissue in her left breast had become cancerous.
To reduce the risk of the disease spreading, Qu decided to undergo a mastectomy. She also chose not to have breast reconstruction, opting instead for a flat closure after carefully weighing the long-term health implications of implants.
She described the experience as one of the most difficult periods of her life, both physically and emotionally. Because of pandemic restrictions, her family was unable to be with her, and although two close friends supported her, she faced most of the diagnosis, surgery and recovery on her own.
Qu said the experience continues to shape her today, and the lengthy recovery kept her away from public activities for years. With the release of her new album, she hopes to use music to tell her story and begin a new chapter in life.
