Xiang Yao is set to inspire more people as her life and comics "Go to Hell, Tumor!" hits the big screen. (Photo : www.qclz.youth.cn)
Online cartoonist Xiang Yao’s battle against cancer as well as her comic strip based on her life is set to hit the silver screen embodied in the film “Go Away Mr. Tumor.”
The film, which stars Chinese celebrities Daniel Wu and Fay Bai, is set to be released in theaters on Aug. 13 under the direction of Han Yan.
Producers of the film revealed on Sunday that "Go Away Mr. Tumor" was based on Xiang's life, her battle with cancer as well as the comic strip she drew about it.
Xiang, who was more popularly known online for pseudonym "Bearton" or "Xiong Dun," fell ill in Aug. 2011 and was diagnosed of lymphatic cancer.
Despite her situation, Xiang, being an optimistic as she is, took her struggles and chronicled it the best way she could and in the lightest way possible through a comic series entitled "Go to Hell, Tumor."
It was released online and was later published by the Beijing Institute of Technology Press in Aug. 2012.
But as her last comic series became a huge hit as it sold over one million copies and she planned on making a sequel titled "Bid Farewell to Tumor," her health began to deteriorate until she finally succumbed to peaceful death on Nov. 16, 2012, a little more than a year after she was diagnosed.
Her story later became inspiration for many of her fans to take on life's challenges optimistically and with courage.
Both her life and her last comic series would be featured in the upcoming movie, which 31-year-old Bai Baihe described as "not a love story, but it is more lovable than a love story."
"This comic is basically a record of my life. I hope my drawings can entertain people and bring positive energy to me and to others. I am happy and delighted that they can enjoy it," Xiang once explained to China.org.cn, referring to her latest and last work of art.
The director of the film also expressed his admiration for the cartoonist who turned a sad story into something that will surely touch people's lives.
