How it all began My own catastrophe. Amid the somewhat distant mayhem of Hurricane Irma I too am suffering damage. Upon a visit to Penang hospital (Malaysia) I had a Cat-scan and was found to have a malignant tumor at the base of my tongue. Two weeks ago my white cell count was low at 2 and a bit when it should be at 4 to 10 or so. The number did improve to 3 plus but is still a little low. So my remedial work begins with relocation to England where I will get the best treatment.