A Towering Malaysian

I did not know Dr Tan Bee Hooi personally but that does not stop me from respecting and admiring this wonderful person and a true Malaysian.

Dr Tan Bee Hooi, 37, an anaesthetist with the Penang Hospital, died in Paris on Wednesday following surgery. She has done Malaysians proud by donating her organs to patients in France and other European countries.

"She was truly a remarkable woman. Even in death, she has given life to others," Malaysian Ambassador to France S Thanarajasingam said of Tan, who had succumbed to complications arising from surgeries related to arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in her brain.

In a statement issued to Bernama in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian Embassy in Paris said Dr Tan's father, Datuk Tan Gin Soon, believed that his daughter would have wanted him to donate her organs, given her "deep and abiding interest" to serve fellow human beings.

Her family has donated her organs, including her corneas, heart, kidneys and liver, to patients in France and other countries of Europe.

Dr Tan had undergone treatment at the Fondation Rothschild, under the care of Professor Jacques Moret, a world-renowned interventional neuro-radiologist. The complicated procedure of the embolization of the AVM on March 11 went well but Dr Tan's condition took a turn for the worse and she died on Wednesday due to complications from the follow-up surgeries.

Dr. Tan Bee Hooi had a habit of getting quotes from the net, printing them out and attaching them to the board of the OT call room. This quote below, attributed to Mother Theresa, was her last one.

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may just never be enough;

Give the world the best you have anyway.

It remains there till today:

Despite her busy schedule, she found time to help others through social work and volunteered her services at the Mahindrama Temple at Kampar Road, Penang.

Her mother, Khor Mooi Looi, 61, a retired teacher, said Bee Hooi had wanted to open the first pain management clinic at Penang General Hospital after her operation. Bee Hooi’s remains are scheduled to reach Penang International Airport at Bayan Lepas today, March 31, 2008.

The single-mother left behind two sons, Tan Xin Yeng, five, and Tan Xing San, seven.

Thank you Bee Hooi, for showing us lesser folk how to live life. Mother Theresa would be proud of you.

If Bee Hooi's story and courage has moved you, consider giving the gift of life yourself as well. For pledge forms and more information, contact the National Transplant Resource Centre. You can also register to be an organ donor online at the Malaysian Society of Transplantation website or get the form here.