One morning, Ms. Wang from Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China was going about her routine as a teacher when a sudden, severe pain stopped her in her tracks. It lasted the entire day. A colonoscopy finally gave her the answer she was dreading: she has a tumor.

Thousands of miles away, Mr. Li had just received his own diagnosis. A marathon runner and fitness enthusiast who prided himself on a healthy lifestyle, he was not prepared for what the doctor told him: he had a tumor in his ascending colon, and it was malignant.

Stories like theirs are far from rare. Colorectal cancer, or bowel cancer, is the third most common cancer in the world, accounting for roughly 10% of all cancer cases globally, according to the World Health Organization.

This episode of Health Talk turns its lens on a disease that is all too familiar yet all too often ignored. We follow the journeys of colorectal cancer patients, their families and the doctors who stand beside them, tracing difficult decisions, moments of hope and unwavering commitment, and exploring what it truly means to live, to love and to hold on to the promise of "till death do us part."

Executive producer: Zhang Jingwen

Producer: Yang Sha

Directors: Li Yue, Zhong Xia, Wang Yuxin, Li Weina, Chai Shouyu, Li Chen

Video editor: Ruan Lingbo

Copy editors: Wang Dewei, Claudine Housen, Shanaaz Prince

Narrator: Zhong Shi

Cameramen: Bai Nan, He Zhuo, Gao Shengwei

Cover: Yan Tianhe

For more:

Why digestive health matters more than you think

What you should know about colorectal cancer: A doctor explains