Cha Su-hyun, Who Battled Colon Cancer in Life, Passes Away
"May the Juniors Achieve the Dreams I Could Not Fulfill"
Cha Suhyun (22), a Daegu University student majoring in Biological Education who dreamed of becoming a teacher, passed away last month due to colorectal cancer. Before her death, she donated 6 million won, which she had earned from part-time jobs, as a scholarship fund for juniors in the College of Education.
On the 10th, Daegu University announced that Cha Minsu, Suhyun’s father, who visited the university in mid-last month, delivered 6 million won earned by his daughter from working part-time at a sandwich shop on campus to the university’s development fund. Suhyun entered Daegu University’s College of Education in 2021 with the dream of becoming a teacher. However, shortly after enrollment, she was diagnosed with familial adenomatous polyposis during a health checkup. This is a condition where hundreds to thousands of adenomas develop in the colon or rectum. It was reported that Minsu, her father, had also battled this disease for a long time about 20 years ago.
Minsu recalled, “When my daughter was diagnosed with the same disease as mine, it felt like the sky was falling. I was so distressed, thinking I might have passed on this terrible disease to her, that there wasn’t a day when my tears dried.” Although the disease had a high chance of progressing to colorectal cancer, Suhyun chose natural healing over surgery. Since colon surgery can leave significant aftereffects, it was difficult for a student who had just turned twenty to endure.
Despite her fragile health, Suhyun continued her studies without taking a single semester off for three years to achieve her dream. She worked as a research student in a professor’s lab and also worked part-time at the campus sandwich shop. However, her condition worsened, and she was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer around Christmas last year. Minsu lamented, “My daughter really wanted to do her student teaching practice in her senior year, but she was very upset that she couldn’t.” Suhyun continued her battle with the illness but ultimately passed away at the age of 22 early last month.
Daegu University engraved Suhyun's name and a memorial phrase on a bench near the College of Education building where he usually spent his time and the store where he worked part-time to honor him. [Image source=Daegu University]
It is known that Suhyun spoke about the money she earned from part-time jobs while bedridden. She said, “I hope this money can be used to help juniors achieve the dreams I couldn’t fulfill.” To fulfill his daughter’s last wish, Minsu donated 6 million won as a scholarship for students in the College of Education. He said, “When I see students studying hard to become teachers, they all feel like my daughter. I hope this money, which holds my daughter’s precious intentions, can be a small encouragement to juniors on their path to becoming teachers.”
Professor Moon Dong-o of the Biological Education Department, who worked with Suhyun in the lab, said, “I once wondered whether university is ‘our heaven’ or if ‘tomorrow holds love’ for today’s students, but after meeting Suhyun, I came to think it might be a heaven full of love and happiness. I would appreciate it if you could remember Suhyun for a long time.” Lee Jeong-ho, Vice President of Daegu University, said, “I cannot fathom the heart of a parent who has lost a child, but as a professor in the same department, losing a student is also deeply distressing. We will ensure that Suhyun’s unfulfilled dreams are well preserved on campus and passed on to future students.” Additionally, Daegu University engraved Suhyun’s name and a memorial inscription on a bench near the College of Education building where she spent her daily life and near the shop where she worked part-time to honor her memory.
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