Moral support has poured in for Dr. Krittai Tanasombatkul, with his hashtag “Don’t give up” top trending on X today, after he updated his condition as he suffers with his terminal lung cancer, saying he may succumb to the disease in the middle of December.

His webpage was overwhelmed with more than 130,000 Line clicks, over 400 comments and 28,000 shares in response to his latest X post, in which he said his condition is not good as the cancer has spread all over his body and he cannot pursue a normal life and cannot participate in a book fair, to autograph his book “Don’t give up” for his fans.

The 29-year old doctor, currently a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine at Chiang Mai University, entered the public spotlight when he posted on his webpage about being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, despite exercising regularly.

According to Dr. Weerawut Imsamran, deputy director-general of the Department of Medical Services, lung cancer is one of the five most common cancers in Thailand and the second most common among Thai men.

About 17,000 new lung cancer cases are diagnosed each year, an average of 46 cases a day, including in about 10,000 men.

The main causes of lung cancer are cigarette smoking or passive smoking, exposure to cancer-causing substances, such as exhaust emissions, PM2.5 dust, radiation and other airborne pollutants.

Early warning signs of lung cancer include chronic coughing, which lasts more than a month, coughing up blood, breathing difficulties, fatigue and chest pain or tightness.

A young doctor reflects on his life with Stage 4 cancer and a bleak future