A 58-year-old former engineer with stage four lung cancer has been driven to place his Kajang home on the market in a desperate attempt to fund the treatment keeping him alive, as the punishing cost of immunotherapy forces him to weigh survival against losing the roof over his family’s head.

“I have already put up my house for sale, but have not gotten a buyer. I need money for my treatment,” he said, describing how he advertised the property before Deepavali last year, only to face six agonising months without success.

“I need financial help… I need to be around for my family. I have responsibilities. I cannot leave them hanging. I am holding on to my life for them only,” he added.

Malaysiakini is withholding the man’s identity at his request, as two of his family members are government servants and he fears their jobs would be affected.

His ordeal began when two lumps were first detected on...