It's never a given that doctors like their patients, as much as they would a friend. Yet it was impossible not to like Karen, or Ka Yee, as I knew her to be, the bubbly superwoman who simply knew how to live life to her fullest.

Ka Yee, who often left me in awe with her resourcefulness at most visits: a list of medical literature references, boxes and packets of expensive lung cancer drugs donated from a passing patient's family and quickly channelled to another one in need, clear instructions for the doctor about her expectations and perceived limitations, and often, and equally extensive list of questions about, you know, casual questions that she wanted to ask for another lung cancer patient friend. She housed an open-minded, organized and deeply inquisitive mind behind an amazingly strong, and realistically optimistic personality. Her empathy and honesty extended to herself, and everyone around her.

Ka Yee, the patient who always knew the best meal to order at the restaurant, such that I'm sure everyone who ever shared a ward knew that Hainan chicken rice was the specialty and curry fish wasn't bad at all.

She could never turn down the challenge of a tough hike, the completion of which caused her whole being the renounce the presence of cancer inside her. I was quite certain that it was this training that allowed the quickest recovery I had ever seen a patient have after procedures to remove the massive volume of fluid that collected around her heart and lungs.

It was the same courageous spirit that never winced once at the idea of a porta-cath insertion, or a lumbar puncture. My funny friend, who on a Sunday, texted me a photo of herself next to waterfall during a hike with a voluptuous woman in flaming-red lingerie in the background with the caption "It's not fair, after all the exercise that I do!"

The only person, who through her authenticity, understood the most important things in her doctor's life of all things, and presented me with a box of coffee for my husband, and a packet of dried scallops for our shiba, last Christmas. I said "Wow, I hope we keep this going next year". Deep down, I knew that options were running out. After all, she had gone through five lines of treatment, and was only forty. For someone who studied her illness with the rigour of a specialist, I knew that she knew as much as I did. So I had the courage to ask "How much do your parents know?" I still remembered her wide-eyed response, "Nothing since I've been diagnosed."

People like Karen remind me of some of the inspirations that brought me into medicine. It is the ability to achieve more when one believes in a cause bigger than oneself. She believed she was but part of a bigger picture in the fight against lung cancer. She worked on that message every day, whether by learning from the best resources, disseminating messages of realistic hope by trying to obtain professional information for patients around her, and also retreating to her closest tribe - her husband and her dog for solace and support during the dark days. She knew the magical secret of how to keep her light burning in the darkness, until the very last moment when blood took over her bright mind in a matter of seconds and minutes. The world lost someone very, very precious.

I felt so blessed that Karen was entrusted in my care by my mentor Prof Tony Mok to apply for compassionate Amivantamab access. It was a privilege to care for you, Karen, truly inspirational.

Dr. Kirsty Lee

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致我們一位同行義工

Karen走了，
像睡著了一樣，但是這次再也醒不過來。

認識你因為我們肺癌社群，你總是帶給大家正能量和陽光，很豐富和準確的健康資訊分享，就算你遇上難過的事，在大家面前永遠都是樂觀正面的，你帶給大家很多美好的回憶，我們是很幸運能夠認識你。

雖然一切都來得這麼突然，數日前仍歡歡喜喜分享行山的見聞，原來那已經是最後的一次交流。

無論如何，你陪著大家
一起走了一段路，在你能付出的時候付出了所有，我很感恩，曾經有像你這樣的同行者。

讓我們留下許多關於你的回憶。謝謝你在社群中都常常陪大家聊天，就算別人的病況和你一點關係都沒有，你還是很認真的給予意見，讓各人抒發情感。

我們會感到遺憾再也聽不到你的聲音，聽不到你的笑聲，感受你的幽默。

你是一個好人，是個善良的人，是個好孩子，我由衷希望上天能讓你在離開之後也過的好，就算我們再也看不見你了，也希望你能像以前一樣開心的生活，我們的好朋友，送上最深的祝福。

Alan Ng

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Karen, 

原來唔經唔覺已經認識左10年，仲記得當初由大埔頭開始幫你地湊Bear bear豹豹豬標，係我人生第一次體驗照顧貓狗生活，亦都令我更加渴望住村屋養狗的生活，好開心可以識到你同B哥，亦好開心得到你地信任俾我睇住佢地。仲有咁多年在你地家中舉行的聖誕派對，大家開開心心交換禮物(廢物), 期待邊一個係老鼠屎，享受燒野食的時光仲有B哥預備的美味海鮮，好多好多美好回憶。
最初知道你患病，原來已經係五年前，仲記得最初知道時，眼淚不由自主流出黎，心諗點解個天要咁好心地的人患呢種病。第二日戰戰兢兢地去你地度食飯，擔心唔知應該講咩好，點知見到的你，比我地更加樂觀積極，仲煮左好多好野俾我地食，當時我地都好驚，怕你會好快離開我地，估唔到轉眼就過左五年。你真係好叻好犀利，每次見面傾計，你都表現得樂觀積極過我地，由飲食到運動，你都一直堅持住，你係我認識的人中最勇敢同堅持的人，好慶幸我生命入面認識到你，相信你的樂觀積極都會影響到好多其他人，我會永遠記得你的樂觀積極，謝謝你。

Raymond Chan

Karen is a very kind-hearted, optimistic and positive person. We knew each other from volunteering at a dog rehoming center. Later she adopted an abandoned Tibetian mastiff, Bear Bear, who was wandering on street and the destiny let them met. Bear Bear is very tender and loving despite of her giant size, and this inspired Karen to bring Bear to be a generous blood donator for other animals for 7 years.

Karen has also been my neighbour for 3 years in the same village, witnessed her feeding the village cats and save the injured. I was very happy when I know that I could move to her nearby, because Karen and her husband must be the supportive and funny neighbours to be around.

When she told me that she was diagnosed with lung cancer, and estimated with 1 year remaining, my sadness was out of my control already, this was extremely something a good person like Karen should not deserve. From that day on, I actually had never heard of any complaint from Karen, she even joked to me that her cancer cell kids were just too naughty and active to play around in her body, travelling to other area quickly, at that moment she still wanted to comfort me in a funny way. With her aggressive cancer, what I see was only the positive ways she cherished her life when tackling the cancer, like QiGong, healthy diet, Singing  bowl, supplement remedy, etc., not in a sense that she was afraid of the arrival of life end, but she wanted to live her remaining life to the fullest.

I still cannot believe that Karen is gone already at her young age, but when thinking about now she is hassle free from all the illness and treatments, and before the end she managed to play, to do her favourite hiking, to eat nice food until the last moment, I had to persuade myself that she was actually absolutely blessed, after being invaded by a very aggressive cancer for 5 years.

Dear friend, rest in peace, your strong spirit will be well memorised. Hope we will meet again soon and do barbeque again❤

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親愛的Karen：
hey...how are you? 而家在另一個國度好捨意了嗎？不用再化療、不用再食藥，可以大吃大喝了…真的好捨不得妳離開呢…

我們在狗場做義工認識，有一日遇到流浪的啤啤，妳的善心帶了牠回家，並領養牠。因為啤大大隻，妳說最好就是帶牠去捐血，幫助有需要的毛孩，而且一幫就無私地幫夠7年。那時搬去妳住的村，最大動力就是因為可以跟你們&啤做鄰居，因為你們一定是守望相助的好鄰居，而且一起玩樂帶狗行山很開心！期間見妳常常餵飼村貓，有病又帶去看獸醫，實在很有善心呢～

當妳初次告訴我妳的病情時，而且可能只剩一年…我簡直是晴天霹靂！不斷問個天為何要這樣殘酷？！為何偏偏選中這麼好人的妳？！ 儘管妳的病情多麼嚴重，妳總是樂觀面對， 更與我們說笑…說妳的
癌細胞小屁孩太過活躍周圍走， 而且安撫 我們。從來沒有聽妳怨過一句， 只看到你好堅強、很積極樂觀去繼續生活， 嘗試不同抗癌方法 ，從健康食療、頌缽、氣功、多做運動、行山等等…

到了現在我還未能完全接受妳已離去… 不過回想…其實你已經好勇敢地對抗這個頑劣嘅病情5年……現在終於可以解脫…而且不需要好像其他癌症病人般經歷最後痛苦的階段…可以玩到最後、食到最後， 其實是一個好大的福份…

Karen, 你的善心、堅強的意志、正面樂觀的能度，真的100分，十分犀利！我會記在心中一輩子，以妳為榜樣！一路好走…希望有緣再聚

Best regards,
Yanki Yan

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Karen is a very good person, we met at HKDR and my memory of her was always about fun times -  countless dinners after volunteer work, house gatherings, hikings…and she attended my wedding as well. Karen was a very friendly, generous and fun person, she would laugh things off and my memory with her was always with laughters. She had great compassion for others and in particular animals. I will always remember her, as a very happy, positive and caring soul.

Karen是一個很好的人，我地係HKDR 認識，無數義工工作後的飯局、聚會、帶狗行山，她亦參加了我的婚宴 - - 我對Karen 的記憶都是開心愉快的。我對Karen的印象係友善，好客，想法很樂觀，我們的對話，即使是講一些不太好的事，她都會把它當成笑話說出來，然後每次我們都是笑著結束對話。她對朋友的關心和對動物的愛心都不容置疑。我會想念她的笑聲、積極樂觀的人生態度。

Angel Ng

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