'He's free now'

(The Standard P.1  10 Dec 2012) The man who sparked(激起) a debate(辯論) on euthanasia(安樂死) eight years ago and touched thousands of hearts died of bacterial infection (細菌引起的感染) yesterday at the age of 43.

Quadriplegic (四肢麻痺患者) Tang Siu-pun, also known as Ah Bun Tang, fainted(暈倒) at his flat in Sham Shui Po on Saturday and was taken by ambulance to the Caritas Medical Centre(明愛醫院).

His condition deteriorated(情況惡化) quickly and he died within hours of bacterial infection in his blood.

The hospital and the Hospital Authority refused to confirm this, saying their refusal(拒絕) came at the request of the family of Tang, also known as Bun Chai.

"We are sad because he was still so young, but thank you for the concern and care through the years," Ah Bun's sister said yesterday.

 

Relatives hoped his courageous example will live in everyone's heart.

Ah Bun sparked(激起) a debate on euthanasia(安樂死) when he wrote to the then chief executive Tung Chee-hwa in 2003 pleading(懇求) for assistance to let him die.

His dream of becoming a physical education(體育教育) teacher ended in 1991 at the age of 22 when he suffered severe(嚴重的) spinal(脊髓的) injuries while practicing a somersault for his graduation performance that left him paralyzed(癱瘓)from the neck down.

Left in despair(絕望), Ah Bun typed the letter - using a chopstick gripped(緊咬) between his teeth - to Tung in November 2003 and to the Legislative Council a year later.

He appealed for legalized euthanasia(使合法化安樂死) so he could to end his life with dignity(尊嚴).

After a show of public concern and words of support from thousands of people, Ah Bun changed his mind. He had a specially designed automatic wheelchair that allowed him to leave Queen Mary Hospital and go to public events occasionally.

 

He wrote a 300-page chronicle(敘述) of his life, I Want Euthanasia, in May 2007.

After 19 years in Queen Mary, Ah Bun was discharged two years ago and moved into a flat at Fu On Estate in Sham Shui Po.

Rebecca Chan Hoi-yan, his friend and political assistant to the secretary for food and health, said: "All relatives, friends and classmates were beside him. He passed away peacefully without suffering pain."

His classmate in secondary school, Chan Hei-sum, said: "He finally achieved the freedom he has been longing for. He will be free from limits and can go anywhere he wishes."

Hospital Authority chairman Anthony Wu Ting-yuk, who had known Ah Bun for years, visited him on Saturday and yesterday. "From his appeal for euthanasia to writing his own biography(傳記), he was positive," Wu said. "We express heartfelt(衷心的) condolences(弔辭,慰問) to him and his family."

Wu said he invited Ah Bun last week to go the racecourse(馬場) with him, as he had been wanting to do that for a long time.

Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man hailed Tang as "a fighter for life," adding that he had been to Disneyland with Ah Bun a few times over the years.

Anne Lee of Joint Publishing, which published Tang's book, said: "I think he had neither lived in vain nor alone. He was a wise man and understood the value of life."

In a British case, Tony Nicklinson, who suffered locked-in syndrome(患上閉鎖症候群) that left him paralysed and unable to speak, died in August after failing to overcome(戰勝) anti-euthanasia laws.

Beatrice Siu and Mary Ann Benitez