[Top: Chim Koon Wah, 62, with his wife. He had a lung transplant when he was 59 years old, and his wife had to stop work to take care of him. For almost a year, he had to rely on family members for both time and money. Mr Chim feels that organ donation has given him a chance to restart his life.]

By Ng Wan Ching

HER task was to speak to people grappling with despair and facing death - and it made her feel like she had aged 10 years after the four-month project.

But she has no regrets. She came away touched and inspired, with life lessons that would have taken her a decade to experience.

Miss Sim Yun Ying, 23, was fresh out of university when she was asked to take care of a major Ministry of Health (MOH) project.

Called 'Live on', it is a long-term public education programme to encourage more organ donors. (See report on facing page.)

As part of her project, Miss Sim, an account executive with an advertising agency, had to interview 20 donor-organ recipients.

Said Miss Sim: 'In the beginning, my copywriters and I prepared 30 questions to bring to the interview, to aid with the discussion, if necessary.'

She ended up not needing the questions.

'I was amazed and inspired by their openness, strength and optimism. I just asked, 'Can you share your story? What was it like?'

'It was like pressing the play button. It all came pouring forth,' she said.

PE teacher's shock

One story of grief and hope involved Mr Yue Keng Siang , 47, a physical education teacher.

First, his mother was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis.

Then he was diagnosed with liver cancer.

'Me, the fit, active PE teacher. Imagine my shock,' says Mr Yue in a new MOH newspaper ad, which will be made public from Sunday.

He began chemotherapy. But not long after that, in 2000, his mother died. Then his sister died from ovarian cancer.

So not only was he fighting for his own life, he had to do so while struggling with the loss of those closest and dearest to him.

Two operations did not save him. But a liver transplant gave him a second chance at life.

Said Miss Sim: 'The most memorable thing he told me was that during the one year he was sick and his mother and sister died, no one in his school knew what he was going through.

'Here was this man, still fighting for his life and at the same time losing those closest to him.

'Luckily his young children, who were aged below 10 then, helped to keep him going and supported him during his illness.'

Then there was the story of the three kidney recipients who became friends from years of chatting at the kidney dialysis centre.

Said Miss Sim: 'They were incredibly open and they all said that family and loved ones are the most important things in life.'

One of them, Mr Yap Chin Guan, 45, was put on dialysis in 1995. During the years that he was not well, his 84-year-old mother was his only support.

She travelled from one end of Singapore to the other just to visit him and make sure he was all right.

Another, Mr Yap Hwa Beng, 46, was on dialysis for five years before he received his transplant. As he is single, his parents were his only form of financial and moral support.

They took him to the dialysis centre regularly.

Once active, then not

The third, Ms Winnie Lau, 60, used to be very active and travelled a lot. Then she learnt that her kidneys were failing.

She was put on dialysis for six years.

She got by, but dialysis took away her freedom to do the things she used to do, such as go for holidays with her family.

Now, a kidney transplant has given all three of them a new lease of life.

'And they all choose to spend their precious time with their families and friends.

'It's all about leading a simple life,' said Miss Sim.

As a fresh graduate, she had been keyed up about doing many things, including achieving life goals and earning big bucks.

'I started out wanting to know how organ transplants changed their lives.

'Instead, they taught me that I don't have to ask for so many things in life.

'I don't have to be a millionaire, I don't have to work myself silly just to earn money.

'It's enough to have love and family around and enjoy every little moment in life,' she said.

She hopes that through the MOH campaign, the public would learn, just as she did, what organ donation is all about.

'I used to be a typical Singaporean. Organ donation, okay lor. In one ear, out the other. It's now much more personal for me.

'Through this process, I got to know the organ recipients very well. I hope their stories will reach out to many others too,' she said.

NEW MOVEMENT TO RAISE AWARENESS

THE Health Ministry is to launch the 'Live On' social awareness movement tomorrow.

It aims to gradually build acceptance of organ donation as a selfless, desirable and ultimate act of goodness after death.

It will also promote altruistic living organ transplantation as it is the best treatment option for organ failure patients.

For patients with heart or liver failure, an organ transplant is the only hope.

For patients in need of corneas, the restoration of sight through cornea transplantation can be life changing.

For kidney failure patients, transplantation offers greater chances of survival and a better life.

Experience from countries around the world has shown that organ donation can only be successful if it is seen and accepted by the society as a way of life, as something which is not just a 'gift' of life to a stranger or a loved one, but essential for the preservation of society.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan will join 500 organ donors, recipients and their families as well as healthcare professionals to launch the 'Live On' movement at Vivocity.

The slogan 'Live On' will be told through the true stories of individuals whose lives have been changed and dramatically improved because of organ donation.

There will also be a 'Live On' website for people to pledge their support online, as well as TV commercials, newspaper ads and roadshows.

This story was first published in The New Paper on Oct 31, 2008.