Always passionate about doing charity — May Loo Hun Ing, together with her love for children and her generosity, has helped numerous organisations and schools. Understanding the struggles and challenges one goes through, Loo shares with New Sarawak Tribune the ups and downs in her life.
WHEN May Loo Hun Ing was a little girl, she recalled watching her mother give RM1 each to every homeless person sitting at the roadside of India Street in Kuching. Troubled by the sight, as her family wasn’t quite wealthy, she told her mother that they were struggling to get by, too.
“I said to my mom that we were considered poor, too. When we ordered a bowl of kolo mee, we had to share it among four siblings. Then my mom would make me get a container of fishball soup. And each time, we would only order RM3 worth of fishballs with extra soup. Then we would share it with the whole family,” she recalled.
“When my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, 17 months before her passing, she would still tell me to prepare some money to donate to charity. She said that should anyone need it, just help them,” said Loo. Despite her own predicaments, Loo’s late mother always said, “Help those as much as we can,” and those words stuck with her to this day.
Today, Loo is the founder of Kuching Love Book Association, a charity house aimed at providing education to underprivileged children by encouraging their love for books. Loo, under the association, also provides alms and aid to those in need, especially schoolchildren from B40 families.
“I never thought that one day I would follow in the footsteps of my mother. Building a charity association is not easy, especially when I need to raise funds. But thankfully, I have my dad, husband and son who have supported me in doing what I love,” added Loo.
Passion for charity
Growing up, the 51-year-old Loo had always wanted to be a teacher. However, when she was in Singapore to pursue her studies, she was presented with the opportunity to become a cabin crew member based there. After 13 years down the road, she decided to resign and return to her hometown.
“It was at that moment that the thought of being a teacher resonated again. I thought to myself that I wanted to set up a mobile library, catering to children and encouraging them to read.” It was then that Loo decided to ring up an old friend, who was also her mentor. According to Loo, her mentor decided to help her pursue her dreams by sponsoring a secondhand bus for her cause.
“My mentor, the founder and chairman of Kuching Life Care Society, Hung Sung Huo, was also the one who guided me to organise a charity association, as it was my passion to help others with all that I could,” she said.
Loo then revealed that she received a brand new bus donated by charity body 38 Yayasan Amal Cinta earlier this year.
Slated to launch in October, the bus has already been installed with bookshelves similar to the ones in her library at Jalan Mendu.
Apart from this, the Kuching Love Book Association also provides aid in the form of food and monetary assistance to underprivileged families, especially students. Often organising charity fundraising, Loo disclosed that her association also received funding from a former schoolmate, Datuk Seri Ho Kim Hee.
Bump in the road
After her foray into building a charity association five years ago, Loo received shocking news in 2020 — she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. “It was a very startling moment for me at that time. I underwent chemotherapy eight times and went for radiotherapy sessions another 15 times.”
At that moment, Loo had moved back into her father’s apartment to recuperate. “I hid from my friends and relatives. It felt like my world was ending, and I couldn’t accept it. I was scared, and I cried every day.”
Previously, during her years of doing charity, Loo also participated in the GoBald campaign. Though she was nervous then, she had no qualms about losing her hairas it could grow back. However, when she was losing hair due to cancer, watching a stack of hair fall off during her shower was devastating.
“It just dropped. I cried, and I cried in the bathroom. My sister told me to just shave it. I remembered asking, ‘Why me?’ This time, if I do go bald during my chemotherapy session, my hair wouldn’t grow back as fast as before,” she said.
At that moment, Loo’s godbrother, Tay Yong Siang, saw the struggles that she was going through. Tay wanted to go bald too, in support of Loo’s predicament. He did, but not without raising funds for the Sarawak Children Cancer Society at the same time. According to Loo, they raised a total of RM60,000 for Tay to go bald.
Charity keeps her alive
Throughout the days of her recovery and treatment from cancer, Loo stayed away from the public. However, when Datuk Seri Ho gave her a call one day, she picked herself up from the darkness and into the light.
“He called me, asking how I was doing and that it had been a long time since he last heard from me. Just those few words made me tear up over the phone. He asked me what happened. And I told him that I was sick.”
It was that very call that gave her the encouragement and motivation to move forward. “He told me not to worry, that I had a good heart, and that there were still many people waiting for me. To be honest, when I put down the phone, I felt relieved. It was then that I realised that stage two cancer wasn’t the end of the world.”
Coincidentally, Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, invited Loo to do a charity programme at Dalat. After receiving the green light from her doctor, she flew on a plane to the rural village and never felt happier to be out there doing what she liked.
“I felt so happy. After that programme, I thought that no matter how low I go, I must stand up and do as much as I can. And I did, until today.”
To the generous Loo, being able to give and provide for others is what keeps her going. “Being able to do charity is a special kind of joy. Especially when the receivers thank me whenever I give to them. For some, it may not seem like much, but for them, it is a lot.”
