Well done to Rebecca Zhou and Florence Poon for creating this beautiful animation, accompanied by their own music composition and poetry. Their work was shortlisted for the MH1 Creative Work Presentation.
Their describe their aim in producing the piece below.
As future healthcare professionals, we are trained to treat patients, but what if we are the one who is sick? Through poetry, music and animation, we invite you to join us in exploring the multiple identities of Dr. Chan. As a dedicated and diligent clinical oncologist, the stress and physical exhaustion never stopped her from battling cancer in others. However, when the battleground was right inside her body, fighting cancer became more challenging than ever. It was not only about the excruciating physical pain, the numbness, the weakness and the side effects of gruelling treatments, but also complex emotions, particularly the fear and regret of dying. Why am I dying so soon?
As medical students, we hope to instil more empathy from medical professionals towards our patients. They are not diseases, they are actual humans going through their most vulnerable times.
As producers, we hope to convey the message that although we cannot control our fates, we can control how we face it. Ultimately, Dr. Chan embraced death proudly, accepting that everyone of us will die and realising that death may not be as scary as living life without meaning. Dr. Chan has lived out her vision of being the light, by leading many patients and their families during their darkest times. We suggest that rather than being trapped in our worries, we should continually aspire to find meaning in our life as a doctor.
The biggest triumph is not my triumph alone, but our triumph together.