Dr Law Moon-yung 羅滿容 (MBBS 1981), the son of pig farmers, was a brilliant student who turned his fortunes around. He gained admission to the Faculty of Medicine, won the Gold Medal for Surgery and, in 1982, embarked on a promising career as a doctor.
Everything was rosy and going well but then tragedy hit. He came down with acute leukaemia just before he completed his internship. In late 1983, his classmates rallied to raise money to send him to the UK for a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, the Class lost their dear friend in 1984. But in their grief, they realised they could help others and at the same time commemorate Dr Law.
With money left over from the funds raised, they set up the Law Moon-yung Memorial Fund to support patients from underprivileged backgrounds to obtain bone marrow transplants overseas, as well as for education and research in this field. The fund helped several people until the bone marrow transplant service was established in Hong Kong. It then lay dormant until recently when, with the launch of the Springboard Scholarships, the Class of 81 found a resonance with their own aspirations.
“Our fund was raised initially to help underprivileged patients and young doctors from modest backgrounds to get further training. It fits very much with the theme of the Springboard Scholarships because Dr Law himself came from a very modest background,” Professor Yeung Chung-kwong 楊重光 (MBBS 1981) said. It is, after all, a fitting way to remember a cherished friend and colleague.
(Source:Medical Faculty News Vol.19)
Nov 2014