Dr. Christopher Gan

Dr. Christopher Gan Teck Sim is a neurosurgeon. He pursued his medical qualification in the prestigious Edinburg University, Scotland where he studied and trained to become a specialist surgeon in the surgery on spine and brain. He is 35 years old and a bachelor. Dr. Gan comes from a privileged background. He was pampered to bits by his parents because he is the youngest and happened to be the smartest among their five children. They employed a nanny to care for him when he was young and he was driven to kindergarten by his father’s chauffer when he first started schooling. In addition, they hired specialists in the mathematics, science and English subjects to tutor him at home. Young Teck Sim did well in school; was always in the ‘A’ class and never came below third place in any final year exams. He was good in sports too. He loved to swim when he was in primary school but his hobby changed to Rugby in the secondary school. As expected he did very well in his exams and his parents promptly sent him to a boarding school in England after his Form V ‘O’ level exam. He did well in his ‘A’ level exam too and was accepted into the Edinburg University in medicine. People who don’t know Dr. Gan think that he is a proud spoilt brat raised from such privileged background. Some of his colleagues misunderstood him because he has the habit of not giving direct answers to their questions and he doesn’t get involved in small talks with them. During his off days, he does not head to the Royal Selangor Golf Club to play the elite golf game like some of his successful colleagues. He prefers painting and fishing. However, for people who knew him long enough, agreed that Dr. Gan is superficial outwardly. He is actually a responsible, kind hearted, helpful, sensitive man and has a wry sense of humour. He is tall with fair complexions from years of living in cold climate environment and boyish looking with a dimple on his left cheek when he smiles. He combs his hair with weaves like Robert Redford in the Gatsby movie. To him, marriage is the ultimate. His future wife must be intelligent, educated, tolerant, sensible and share his passion. Furthermore, she must also love his two pet poodles. No wonder he is taking his time to find his soul mate. Men like him are few and there is no shortage of female admirers but somehow none of them has really caught his imagination. Until he met Janet. He knew Janet from her university days as he used to give lectures to the medical students of Universiti Malaya. Janet has high regard for him. He is smart, knowledgeable, and has an air of authority about him, yet is humble and approachable. Dr. Gan is now the head neurosurgeon at the Universiti Malaya Hospital and Janet is the intern under his study. At 35, this achievement made him the youngest chief of neurosurgery in the hospital’s history.

One fateful night, Dr. Gan received an emergency call from the Hospital. A youth had met with an accident on his motorbike. He was speeding along the Federal Highway in the wee hours after watching a midnight movie with his girlfriend, who was the pillion rider. He rode into a slippery path in the darkness of the night, the effect of some crude oil spilled by a leaking oil tanker driving through the Highway. The boy tried to swerve away from the oily patch but in the process, lost control of the machine and hit the middle divider of the road, flinging him and his motorbike to the other side of the Highway. There was an oncoming lorry. The lorry tried to avoid him. But it was too late. The lorry slammed into the machine and threw him up into the night sky before he landed head first on the tar road. He fractured his skull. There was a lot of bleeding. He suffered brain hemorrhage from his injuries. Miraculously, his girlfriend got away with only bruises on her hands and limbs. She too was flung across the road but luckily landed into some bushes beside the road. There was a passing car. The driver of the vehicle stopped to check and the good Samaritan wasted no time in taking the youth and his girlfriend to the Universiti Malaya Hospital which was only a couple of miles away. The doctors examined the boy and found that he needed brain surgery straight away, lest he would not survive the night. Dr Gan called Janet and both of them rushed to the hospital from their homes immediately, although it was Dr. Gan’s off day. There is a hive of activities going on in the Hospital. It has a life of its own; it does not pay heed to night or day, nor any day of the year. There are eager young nurses caring for the sick, tired looking doctors battling to save lives and drama of relatives unfolding with their emotional outbursts. The youth’s family members have arrived too and were told about the boy’s grave conditions. The Hospital’s authorities needed his father to sign a declaration form agreeing to his son’s operation which they said is standard procedure but in actual fact is to cover the Hospital should there be any legal actions taken against the Hospital. The boy’s father signed without reading. All he is concerned at the moment is for Dr. Gan to save his son. The boy is wheeled on a stretcher into the operating room to a swirl of activity. There are nurses, anesthesiologist, doctors, Janet and Dr. Gan. Dr. Gan and his team did the preoperative blood work, heart function evaluation, medical clearance by internist, chest X-Ray, and scan etc. There are the overhead lights, and the blue hue that seems to permeate the whole room. The boy is then moved from the stretcher to the operating table. The operating room is clean but rather cold. The hair on part of the boy’s scalp is shaved. His scalp is then cleansed and prepared for surgery. To everyone’s surprise, Dr. Gan asked the boy whether he would like to listen to some music. The youth rolled his eyes, trying to figure out if it’s a joke. But when he gazed into Dr. Gan’s eyes and realized that Dr. Gan meant what he said, he nodded his head and answered in a low voice, “I don’t mind Doctor.” “Do you have the song ‘My Favourite Things’ in the ‘Sound of Music’ movie?”. “Sure.”, the nurse standing nearby took the cue and went over to the corner of the room where is a row of cabinets nailed to the wall. She opened one of the wall cabinets and started to search for the ‘Sound of Music’ cassette. The boy was lucky, she found the song he wanted to hear. She slides the cassette into the player’s compartment and then walks to the operating table and pulls the blanket from the youth. She comforted him and told him not to worry and that everything would be alright. Then the anesthesiologist applied anesthetics on the youth and the anesthesiologist then leans over and whispers to him, "You are going to sleep now, ok?. Don’t worry. When you wake up everything will be fine." Dr. Gan then begins to operate on the boy’s brain. He uses a special microscope to perform the surgery. He makes an incision through the scalp, pulls up the scalp and then creates a hole in the skull. He removes a piece of the bone flap. This flap will be placed back after the surgery is over. While he is performing his skills on the youth’s brain, Janet who is standing beside him, observes intensively and learning from him. Dr. Gan is ever so skillful and gentle. He knew exactly what to look for, where to make an incision and how to cut, operate and stitch. He constantly gives instructions to the nurses and other doctors around him. He never has eye contact with anyone in the operating room, his eyes are fixated on the boy’s brain. He has Janet’s undivided attention and admiration for the way he so expertly performed the operation. Of all the medical skills, brain surgery is perhaps the most demanding, requiring a unique combination of training, dexterity and stamina. The surgery took five hours. It was a success. The youth is saved.

Everyone involved in saving the boy’s life is extremely tired by now but gratefully relieved because it was a long and difficult operation. Right at this moment, they wished for nothing except some much needed sleep. Dr. Gan offered to send Janet home and she gladly accepted his offer. Both were spotting puffy eyes from lack of sleep, but they could still manage some conversation on the way home. “Why do you want to become a doctor, Janet?”, Dr. Gan asks Janet who is sitting next to him in the front passenger’s seat. “It is the various life experiences that I have gone through. Like when my grandfather passed away from lung cancer and a beloved aunt of mine who suffered a host of old people diseases before she succumbed to an illness. More recently, the passing of my granny after she had a fall. I think there are lots we can learn and discover in medicine to save lives. We come from a third world country and I have seen people die due to lack of doctors and medical care. Medical profession is a very respectable and honored field of expertise. My interest in the field of chemistry and biology has also added to my decision in proceeding into the medical field.”, Janet answers. “What about you? Why did you become a neurosurgeon, Dr. Gan?”, Janet asks him the same question. “Call me Chris. You need not be so formal with me, Janet. Why did I become a neurosurgeon? Well, I think I am destined to enter this medical business. My father is a surgeon, as was my grandfather. I knew the ups and downs that came with it. My father was always on call, working late and our family missed him dearly, especially during our growing up years. But, I knew he was helping people. He has a purposeful look in him. You know when I was young, I was so proud of my father on seeing people whom he had helped coming up to him to thank him for what he has done for them or for their loved ones. For instance, there was this middle aged lady who once came up to my father and told him that he had saved her from a life in the wheelchair. She shook my father’s hands and thanked him profusely. My father could not remember this lady nor the surgery he had performed on her. She then related her story to my father. She was suffering from bone pain from arthritis in her hip and was only weeks away from being in wheelchair. The pain kept her awake at night even though she was taking a lot of prescribed pain medication, sleeping pills and antidepressants. Her husband was only a lorry driver and the sole bread winner of the family. They have five kids to feed. She could not afford the medical expenses and cost of the hip operation. It was the darkest moment of her life and with no end in sight. My father heard of her plight and decided to operate on her for free. Without my father’s quick diagnosis, skilled hands and generosity, this lady would be wheelchair bound for the rest of her life. She told my father that she was truly blessed and will be forever grateful. She said many people have made a significant impact on her life but nothing could compare with the dramatic event with my father. She told my father that she thanked God every night before going to bed, knowing that she could get out of bed and walk again. I admired what my father did and I saw the respect people had for him. You know once you are in this business, it is easy to let medicine consume your whole life. I feel the moral satisfaction that I have done something good for another human being. Helping people can be intoxicating!", Dr. Gan finally reveals his passion and the influence of his father. “But, that’s not to say I do not have doubts in our profession. Sometimes, you wanted so desperately to save someone’s life but couldn’t. Sometimes, a life cannot be saved at all no matter how knowledgeable, skilful you are and with all the right high tech equipment at your disposal. I can’t understand why some lives are taken and why some are spared. I still struggle to understand why bad things happen to good people or why it takes a tragedy to appreciate life”, Dr Gan continues his thoughts philosophically. “But what I do know, is that there is far more good in this world than evil”, replies Janet reassuringly. “Take you for example. You answered the Hospital’s call to come and save the boy’s life in the middle of the night, despite that fact that it’s your off day. You have the gift. I think you can have a huge influence on your children too.”, Janet praises him out of immense respect but suddenly she stops, realizing that Dr. Gan is still unmarried. “In case you don’t remember, I am not married, Janet!”, he seems to have read Janet’s mind. “Oh…sorry Dr. Gan. Slip of the tongue is no fault of the mind.”, she still calls him Dr. Gan. There was a long pause and neither of them spoke. Janet closed her eyes and soon fell to sleep from fatigue. Half way into her sleep she felt Dr.Gan’s left palm rested on the back of her right palm, stroking and softly squeezing it ever so gently. Janet feels the warm sensation and continues to enjoy his caressing hand in her half slumber. Suddenly she realizes that it’s not Daniel’s hand as he is still abroad. She opens her eyes. Instinctively she withdraws her hand from his grip. She turns to look at him and is instantly greeted with Dr. Gan’s smile. ‘Sorry Janet. You look so serene and beautiful, like the first day I met you in the university campus. I just wanted to hold your hand”, Dr. Gan speaks with a quivering voice. Janet thought this is rather uncharacteristic of him. For Dr. Gan has a reputation of possessing a gentlemanly behavior and is held in high esteem in his moral beliefs. “You remember what you asked me earlier? Why am I still not married? Well, I am already 35 years old and still a bachelor. It’s not that I don’t want to get married. You know it’s not easy to find someone to share your entire life with. I have seen so many broken marriages which ended up in divorces. I want my marriage to last; I want it to be for keeps. To tell you the truth, I had a crush on you at the campus. You are a smart girl, I am quite sure you knew of my feelings for you, but you have an uncanny way of avoiding me. Several times I had asked you for dates and each time you turned me down, giving some subtle excuses. You would only go out with me when there were other doctors or students in our company.”, Dr. Gan reveals his feelings for Janet. “There are many smart and beautiful girls out there who would die to be with Dr. Gan. In fact, I know least two of my class mates are your secret admirers. Perhaps I can be your match maker.” “No. That’s not necessary, Janet. Thanks anyway.” “I hope I can find a girl like you some day, Janet” “Well, I am flattered Dr. Gan. But….” “No. No need for you to explain any further, Janet”, Dr. Gan interrupts before she could finish her sentence. “I have been observing you. We knew that you have a boyfriend and he is studying in England. But for as long as you are not married, I think it’s fair game for a man to still go after you. After all, the best man wins right? But, I knew that I won’t be the one.” “What do you mean you knew you won’t be the one?”, Janet is not really surprised by his affection towards her but is confused by his revelation. “Let me tell you of an incident which led me to believe what I had just said. You know a couple of years ago the university campus was barricaded as a result of some demonstrations by UMSU (Universiti Malaya Students’ Union) students. They had used the Speaker’s Corner to protest against the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia and to fan student’s support for their left wing political ideologies. The student union leaders had succeeded in radicalizing some of the students of the time. Tear gas was fired by the FRU on some 200 demonstrating students. The next day more than one thousand students staged a march to pretest police brutality. In their march to the police station, one female student came running after her radical boyfriend to try to persuade him not to take part in the demonstration. She told him not to get involved with the marchers. She told him in no uncertain terms that these marchers were trouble makers. Some of the marchers around her boyfriend heard what she said and did not take her remarks very kindly. They exchanged heated arguments and hurling insults against each other. This antagonized state of affair soon escalated into physical encounter. Someone in the crowd threw a stone at the girl. It hit the poor girl’s head and broke her skull. She was lying on the road side with blood oozing from her head injuries. Her boyfriend then pulled out of the march and carried her to the university’s dormitory. You saw the young couple arriving at the dormitory and you immediately went to her aid. I was observing you nearby. I saw how you bandaged the girl’s head with such intense care and tenderness. I witnessed how you gamely organized an ambulance to take the girl to the hospital. You did all this single-handedly and with such efficient manner only you knew how. At that moment I thought to myself, “What a brave and kind hearted this girl is. How wonderful if this girl could be my girlfriend!” Few days later, I saw you going to the library. I followed you into the library, hoping that I could catch a quiet opportunity to chat you up. But you buried yourself in a book and was oblivious to the surrounding. I tiptoed to the your seat from behind, trying to find out what medical book you were reading. However, to my surprise, I found out that you were reading a diary. You realized that someone was standing behind you and then closed the diary. But not before I read a bold sentence written across the diary. It was written with these words “Forever our love will be true. Always there will be you and me. Daniel and Janet forever”. I walked away feeling disappointed and silly. I realized you were truly in love with someone else and that it was futile for me to continuing wooing you. In fact, it’s almost sinful for me to think of snatching someone from her true love. You have two nice hands, a pair of lovely legs, two beautiful eyes and two keen listening ears. But you can only have one heart. Because the other was given to someone else”, Dr. Gan has a poetic way of putting his message across. “You must have loved your boyfriend very much. He is a very lucky fella.”. “You are a good man Dr. Gan. You are smart, intelligent, successful and have a great future. One day you would find the girl of your dream. Have faith, Chris”, Janet tries to console him, calling his first name for the first time. “Well, many people come and go in our lives. I am fated to be like what I am. Fate has brought many people in my life. But, it is my heart that determines who shall stay. And yes I hope one day someone like you shall come along and stay in my heart”. “This will soon go to past dear Dr. Gan. But I shall hold dear to our friendship”, Janet replies. Suddenly, Dr. Gan breaks this news to her. “I have decided to migrate to Australia, Janet. I have been offered a top medical position in an Australian government hospital. I sincerely wish you and your boyfriend a happy ending. Your book of life is only half written. I hope the your remaining pages be written with joy, love and happiness. And if ever there is a chance that I could fill in your pages in the future, please do not be afraid to call me. Good bye Janet”.