Jointly reported by:
Sr2ScB Yee Sue Wei
Sr2ComB Ho Chia Chien

Photography by:
Kuen Cheng Photography Club

          “Because life didn’t end when I was seventeen, now I will always have “what ifs” that allows me to reimagine and reinvent my future, as long as I am alive.”

          On 18th May 2024, Dr. Hue Hwa Ching, a Kuen Cheng High School alumna, was invited by the Counseling Department to deliver a talk on perseverance of life to all senior-two students. Dr. Hue, who graduated from Peking University, has 10 years of clinical practice experience, and is currently an adviser on health policies.

          Dr. Hue started her talk by posing two questions to the audience. First, is there any moments in your life when you felt that life is meaningless and had suicidal thoughts? Second, given an opportunity to make a wish come true in 20 years, what would you wish for? Several students volunteered to give their perspectives on these two thought-provoking questions, which then led Dr. Hue to start her talk by sharing her life experiences.

(Photo 1: A student sharing her perspectives on the thought-provoking questions posed)

(Photo 2: Students listening attentively in the school auditorium)

          Dr. Hue shared that she first had suicidal thoughts when she was in the third year of junior high school. Because she was in puberty at that time, she put on weight, and she often felt inferior because of it. In addition, her parents denied her, which made her feel even more helpless. Fortunately, she did not commit suicide in the end. But the issue wasn’t over yet.

          Because the knot in Dr. Hue’s heart hadn’t been untied, she had suicidal thoughts again. At this time, she was already studying at Peking University, but because her grades were not as good as before, she did not dare to face her family. Finally, she chose to make a phone call home, and it was because of this call that they were able to untie this knot.

          However, things did not start to get better, Dr. Hue then discovered that she had a uterine tumor. She was very desperate at first, because she thought her life was just starting to get better, but she didn’t expect this bad news to come to her. But slowly, she began to accept this matter and faced and accepted the treatment calmly. She said: “Everyone will have negative emotions, the most important thing is to accept and allow its existence.” Dr. Hue told us that we can use our favorite sports to express these negative emotions, such as running, which she loves very much. She also recommended to us a writer Gin Oy who once suffered from severe depression, and encouraged us to read her books for more inspiration.

          Before ending, Dr. Hue concluded with a small sentence: “Time is the best medicine, so don’t worry about the past, let time heal everything.” She also encouraged us to seek help from a psychiatrist or counselor immediately if we encounter any problems. Finally, a group photo was taken, which also marked a perfect end for this talk.