A Friendship Borne Out of Mutual Admiration

In my over a decade of running Magical Light Foundation, a non-government organisation, I’ve met many amazing individuals who have contributed selflessly to the underprivileged in the region. But there are particular people who I totally respect and admire. These individuals have something in common: they could have gone on to much “greater” things in life for themselves and their families but instead, they chose to sacrifice their personal glorification for the betterment of society. Dr Sean Ngu, the founder of Khmer Sight Foundation in Cambodia is one of them.

In March 2017, I was introduced to Dr Sean Ngu through a charity associate from Cambodia. I was told he would be in Singapore to attend the 32nd Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Congress and I made arrangements to meet him.

I was very fascinated and impressed with Dr Sean as he shared his story with me. He grew up during the Khmer Rouge regime and had to flee the country with his family as refugees when he was just seven years old. They ended up in Malacca and had to live in a refugee camp while waiting for asylum. After a few months, his asylum application was accepted by Australia and he moved there. He started his new life and did very well in school, getting accepted to study medicine where he went on to become an oncologist. He later spent many more years doing cancer research.

He lived a fairly comfortable life in Australia but decided that it was time to contribute back to his home country, Cambodia. He targeted his efforts at several marginalised groups. 

The first were farmers who were banished to the borders of the country because of their status as former soldiers under the Khmer Rouge regime. Many people were shocked at why he wanted to help people who were responsible for the horrendous acts committed under the regime. He explained that as soldiers they were obligated to follow the orders of their superiors. They had to comply or face harsh consequences and they did not have a personal grudge against anyone. Another group he rendered help to were HIV patients. Back when the stigma against the disease was especially strong, Dr. Sean faced criticism for helping them. There were accusations that Dr. Sean was HIV positive himself as people couldn’t fathom any other reason why he would help them.

Today, he has founded several charities and sits on the board of many foundations that help various groups. One of them, the Khmer Sight Foundation, was founded by him in 2015 to contribute towards the elimination of avoidable blindness in Cambodia. It remains his pride and joy and lifelong commitment.

I have since collaborated with him to raise funds for three cataract missions in Cambodia. We were going to collaborate on a fourth mission but the COVID-19 pandemic meant that we have had to shelve it for now.

Having worked with him for several years now, I would say that our friendship is the result of like-mindedness in our quest to help the underprivileged and marginalised. While we rarely have the chance to meet up because of physical distance, our friendship over the years has been strengthened through our shared determination to make the world a bit better day by day. Whenever we can, we check in with one another to see how our family and projects are coming along, lending our expertise and assistance when needed. Having witnessed his dedication and commitment towards giving back to society, he is someone that I have the utmost admiration for, and someone I would consider an idol of mine and a friend forever.

I just started a fundraising campaign for another cataract mission in Cambodia. Yet again, I look forward to working with Dr Sean. With travel restrictions still in place, I’m not sure if I can be there physically. However, with Dr Sean around, I am confident that things will proceed smoothly and our fourth cataract mission would be another success.

It’s a blessing for me to not only have had the opportunity to work with Dr Sean Ngu, but to call him my friend. Thank you for being a beacon of light to countless people who need help.