Because she rejected chemotherapy and opted for traditional Chinese medicine and alternative treatments, Chinese actress Kitty Xu Ting died on Sept. 7 of lymphoma, a form of cancer which affects the immune system.
In July, the “Lost in Macau” actress shared with her 300,000 fans of her cancer diagnosis on Weibo, China’s microblogging site. In not going through chemotherapy, Xu Ting admitted traditional Chinese medicine may not cure her, but she was concerned about the cost and avoiding the extreme pain associated with chemotherapy which she believed could hasten her death, especially if it would torment her “to the point where there’s no beauty or talent left.”
She posted photos of herself going through other forms of treatment such as acupuncture, cupping, gua sha which involves scrapping the skin with a smooth tool and jiu sha which involves repeated pinching of the back and neck to increase blood circulation, reported Straits Times.
Because there treatments were not working, Xu Ting’s younger sister convinced her to try chemotherapy. The death of the actress, who would have been 26 on Oct. 3, sparked a debate in China about cancer treatment.
Some of her followers agreed with her younger sister that Chinese medicine could not cure cancer, but Xu Ting should instead go through chemotherapy. Another follower called traditional treatments a fantasy and advised the actress to rely instead on modern medicine to save her from lymphoma, reported BBC.
Xu Ting’s TV career started in 2013 when she was introduced in the series “Dad Home.” The third of seven children, the actress did not want to spend for chemotherapy because all her life she had to pay for her brother’s schooling, her parent’s debt and a house.