Dreaming big to make changes to the underprivileged 

It has always been Mr Kayson Chau Hung-yeung’s dream to make changes to the world. After getting into university, he found that there is a lack of public concern for some health issues, and it is difficult for those affected to get appropriate help. “As a student, I am not able to help all those in need, but I hope I can raise social awareness about those issues.”  

In 2018, Kayson attended a seminar where he first learnt about the bedbug issue of some local communities, he then partcipated an “Anti-bed Bugs Project” with his schoolmates. The team teach grassroots families suffering from bed bug infestation how to eradicate the bedbugs and visited those bug-infested flats to remove bedbugs. “Those flats are usually very small but with thousands of bedbugs all over. It was indeed frightening but we never wore protective garments as we want to protect their dignity.”  The team once helped a terminally ill elderly man to remove bedbugs from his home, “he passed away two weeks after the bedbug removal, but we were pleased to know that he regained some dignified time in a bug-free environment during his final days.” 

As a nursing student, Kayson actively engaged in raising social awareness of rare diseases. He recruited university students to support a “Rare Human Library Programme” and published a book that shares the life stories of rare disease patients, hoping to raise public awareness of the situation of this neglected group. He shared with us the story of a patient who sometimes has difficulty in breathing due to a lack of muscle strength. The medication for her disease is just too expensive, and the only time she can have it is in the hospital when she has respiratory failure, where medication can be given because of her critical condition. “I had never thought that people can be living such difficult lives, and yet they are so strong in spirit. I hope these life stories can bring more understanding of the needs of these patients and inspire greater inclusiveness and support from the community.” 

In future, Kayson would like to continue his public awareness projects on health issues. Although it is not an easy task, he does not want to miss any opportunity that may make changes, “I want to try my best and bring positive changes to the world little by little.” 

Humanity is the willingness to do things for the sake of others’ joy and happiness.