Second Take

Photographer Jed Sy speaks of his inspiring journey towards healing and purpose

Interview by Patrick Kasingsing

For a moment, I actually thought I was dreaming because everything felt surreal. My girlfriend was crying; I knew I had to quit my job and that my savings wouldn’t be enough to cover everything. I was a mess, and I thought my life was over. I worried and looked for answers. I asked God, why me? He gave me an answer through a Facebook post, which said: “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” That’s when I felt everything was going to be alright.

Engulfed. Real, Quezon

Jed Sy

“I’ll always be thankful for the experience, and I could say it really humbled me and taught me to be more appreciative about life and the things we usually take for granted.”

As far as cancer is concerned, I feel like it’s not something that will define me, and that it’s just a chapter in my life that I went through. I’ll always be thankful for the experience, and I could say it really humbled me and taught me to be more appreciative about life and the things we usually take for granted. I hope more people will think of it not as a death sentence, so they can have a more positive outlook which will help them with their battle with cancer.

Read the rest of Jed Sy's story on our Unbroken issue.