..The Last Lecture..

I first saw Randy Pausch on the Oprah Winfrey show one night early this year. Oprah did a feature on cancer sufferers and survivors and the brave battles that they had to fight in dealing with the killer disease. It was a very apt episode for me at that time, as Mak's condition had recurred and we were at loss on what to do next.

When Randy came on, he actually amazed me. He only had a few months left of his life, and there he was inspiring everyone with his battle with pancreatic cancer that had spreaded to his liver. I had thought to myself how nice it was if Mak could watch this episode; it could at least be some form of motivation for her. And us too, for that matter.

Now, close to half a year later, I found out that he had succumbed to his condition and passed away on July 25th (thanks to Ling's blog).But all was not at loss. He left a legacy: his Last Lecture and a journal of his fight to stay alive.

I read the whole of his blog during my lunchbreak today and it actually tugged at my heartstrings, bringing back very personal memories of Mak's own battle. He was positive throughout until the end. Despite his sufferings, he was always grateful for being alive and being able to be up and about one more day 'All in all, a small price to pay for walking around!' he loved to say.

Daily we complain about the most minor hurdles in our lives. Daily we'd focus so much on our shortcomings and of others', that we actually forget to remember to notice the good in our lives. Mak and Randy are no longer here, but if they were here now, I am sure they will tell you that the hurdles are just 'a small price to pay for walking around!'.

Rest in Peace Randy.
We still miss you Mak.