Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei has shown he is a “true fighter” after treatment for nose cancer, but has put public appearances on hold to focus on his recovery, a senior official said on Friday.
Badminton Association of Malaysia president Norza Zakaria said the former world No. 1 is looking well despite losing about 5kg in weight while undergoing “tough” chemotherapy and proton therapy in Taiwan.
Lee had flagged a media appearance “a few days” after his return to Malaysia on Sunday last week, but Norza said the 35-year-old needed to rest to strengthen his immune system.
“Lee is a true fighter. He is in incredible spirit. He was extremely cheerful and jovial,” he said. “Lee shared with me his experiences during treatment and told me that his chemotherapy and proton therapy was tough.”
Norza said he had breakfast with Lee on Thursday, where the player had soup. He said Lee looked better since his return to Malaysia.
“Lee has lost some weight, maybe 4kg to 5kg, but he is looking good,” he said.
Norza said he told Lee to recuperate and not to think about his future in the sport.
“I told Lee, we can sit and talk about the future of his badminton career in the next three weeks and I told him all Malaysians are praying for his speedy recovery,” he said.
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