Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: how one student overcame difficult childhood to launch mental health NGO
- The brain cancer that struck Michael Chan when he was an infant changed his appearance, which other children would mock
- After struggling through school, he was admitted to Chinese University and launched Companion Hong Kong, which earned him a Spirit of Hong Kong nomination
Michael Chan Sheung-yee developed brain cancer when he was just an infant, and the disease left him with only 20 per cent of the vision in his right eye and hearing problems on the same side.
He was bullied by his peers as he grew up because of the way the disease had left him looking different from the other children.
But, despite the adversity, Chan remained strong and determined to help others in need when he became an adult.
Chan and his classmates on his undergraduate degree at the Chinese University of Hong Kong established a non-profit organisation called Companion Hong Kong in 2019, just before the pandemic struck.
“Recognising the mental health challenges that some of our fellow students endure, we established Companion Hong Kong to provide support,” he said. “Since the end of Covid earlier this year, we have expanded our efforts to include other universities, aiming to reach and assist a wider range of students in need.”
