Choi Yena's Childhood Cancer
Choi yena. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Former IZ*ONE member Choi Ye-na was diagnosed with and survived lymphoma when she was young.
Who is Choi Yena?
Choi Yena is a South Korean singer and actress under YH Entertainment, and a former member of the South Korean-Japanese girl group IZ*ONE. She made her solo debut in 2022, and has since released 5 EPs.
Choi Yena’s childhood battle with cancer
In 2018, during the November 15 broadcast of Mnet’s IZ*ONE CHU—an exclusive reality program capturing the daily lives and debut process of IZ*ONE—when Yena was shown having a home-cooked meal with her family, she presented them with a lunchbox containing kimbap (seaweed rice rolls) that she had made herself. Seemingly mundane, the kimbap carried a deeper meaning.
The show then cut to an interview done back in Yena’s appearance on Produce 48—the South Korean reality competition series that produced IZ*ONE. In the interview, Yena shared about her childhood experience with lymphoma.
She explained, “When I was young, I had lymphoma. I was really sick to the point where the hospital told us that there was no hope. Our family wasn’t very well off, and because of the hospital bills, my parents went to sell kimbap every day early in the morning.”
Realising that their daughter had remembered their hardships, Yena’s parents were deeply touched. Her mother was moved to tears. Her father took a big bite of the kimbap and said, “Of the kimbap that I’ve had all my life, this not only moves my taste buds, but my heart.” He added, “I really thought you didn’t remember, but hearing you say that’s why you brought the kimbap, I’m so touched. Just the fact that you’ve grown up healthy and bright is a huge gift to us.”