DBS Group Holdings announced this morning (Jan 29) that Its CEO, Richard Stanley, had been diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia and would be commencing medical treatment in Singapore immediately.
His prognosis came very suddenly; he was busy at work till last Friday.
According to a DBS statement, he sought treatment for what appeared to be ordinary flu-like symptoms on Monday, 26 January, after experiencing a cough and high fever during the Lunar New Year weekend.
Stanley, 48, was warded the following day and his medical condition was confirmed this morning. Previously head of Citigroup China, he was hired by DBS in May last year.
According to Wikipedia, the diseases is a cancer of the myeloid line of white blood cells, characterized by the rapid proliferation of abnormal cells which accumulate in the bone marrow and interfere with the production of normal blood cells.
AML is the most common acute leukemia affecting adults, and its incidence increases with age.
AML is a relatively rare disease, accounting for approximately 1.2% of cancer deaths in the United States.
Ken Watanabe, 49, recovered after chemotherapy treatmentSamurai Ken Watanabe
Among celebrities whom acute myelogenous leukemia has afflicted is Ken Watanabe, 49, who is best known outside of Japan for his 2003 film The Last Samurai.
For his performance as Katsumoto, he won an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Watanabe also appeared in the 2005 films Batman Begins as Ra's Al Ghul and Memoirs of a Geisha, where he played The Chairman.
In 2006, he starred in Clint Eastwood's film Letters from Iwo Jima.
In 2004, he was featured in People's Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People edition.
Watanabe in Memoirs of a Geisha
His encounter with acute myelogenous leukemia took place years earlier, in 1989, while filming Heaven and Earth.
He returned to acting while simultaneously undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
