Late cancer victim's inspiring video goes viral
There are videos, and then there are VIDEOS.
And this one may just end up changing your life.
Singaporean Dr Richard Teo, a successful opthamologist-turned-cosmetic surgeon, succumbed to Stage Four terminal lung cancer earlier this month at the age of 40.
But since his death, a 22-minute heart-wrenching video featuring his thoughts on life and the ceaseless pursuit of materialism and success is going viral online.
During the talk given to a class of dentistry students, the former Raffles Junior College and National University of Singapore student shares with painful, brutal honesty how his driving ambition since childhood was to be successful at all costs.
And given Singapore's societal and educational context, that meant making lots and lots of money and amassing enough status symbols to last a lifetime.
"I am a typical product of today's society. From young, I was told by the media... and people around me that happiness is about success. And that success is about being wealthy," he shared in a voice made hoarse by rounds of chemo.
In the grainy amateur video, which was shot in January, a frail-looking and slightly balding Teo goes on to detail how he ditched public service to become an aesthetic surgeon to "make millions".
That is until his "perfect" life fell apart on the day he learned about his illness and how, in the final months of his life, all his wealth, toys -- supercars, bungalows -- and glam lifestyle meant nothing to him and gave him precious little comfort.
Instead, he found comfort in spending time with family and fellow patients, sharing their pain and suffering. In his final message, he urged the classroom of medical students never to lose their moral compass and never to lose sight of the patients they treated.
The video, which was uploaded last Thursday, has been viewed nearly 70,000 times to date. And his story, which was first featured on The New Paper on Sunday (TNPS), has got people talking.
His wife, Mrs Teo, who was married to him for six years, told TNPS, "I'm proud of him for leaving a legacy. I wish I could be like him. He is the best teacher God has sent to me."
Watch the video here.
