Reaching the age of retirement means slowing down in life and taking a breather, but not for Lim Shyang Guey, better known as SG Lim.
Instead, the 66-year-old retired civil engineer and runner from Penang found himself learning how to navigate life without the person he had spent decades with.
After his wife, Goh Joo Lee, passed away from cancer in 2024 at the age of 63, Lim spent his days moving between different places.
“I have been spending time in Australia with my two children; in Malaysia with my mother, siblings and friends; and in Hong Kong for some ‘me’ time,” he says.
When asked to describe his late wife, Lim only needs two words.
“‘Loving’ and ‘caring’,” he shares.
“She loved the people around her, especially her family and close friends. She is caring to everyone and every being. Even when she was unwell in the hospital, she was more worried about me and her children.”
It is the small moments that stay with him the most. He recalls a woman who had been hospitalised in the ward opposite Goh for more than a year.
Although she was battling cancer herself, she still wanted to do something nice for the stranger.
“She asked me to go downstairs and buy her some flowers, which I did. You could see how happy she was and that made her husband (who cared tirelessly for her) very pleased too.”
This shows just how far her compassion extended beyond just the people she knew.
Lim also reminisced about the artistic side of his wife just as fondly as he recalls her passion.
“She was very artistic and liked to draw, paint and create with her talent,” he says, adding that many of her pop-up art creations posted on her social media remain cherished reminders of her creativity.
A journey for good
Learning to live with grief brought him on a journey towards a renewed sense of purpose, which led him to discover a book by Laurence Carter titled From Grief To Love – which ultimately planted the seed for what would become his most ambitious endeavour yet.
“After reading the book, I decided to pursue the idea of walking or running around Peninsular Malaysia. I even spoke to Carter to seek his advice,” Lim explains.
With the support of the National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM), the marathon took on the name of "Run For Gold" with the aim of raising awareness and funds for children battling cancer.
To prepare for the daunting adventure of running across 11 states and federal territories, Lim began focusing on increasing his running mileage after completing the Sydney Marathon last August.
He also conditioned himself to wake up at 5am for the early starts, ran under the late morning sun to prepare for the heat, went for strength training sessions and even taught himself how to edit videos so he could document the journey on social media.
Profound encounters
During the journey, the people he met along the way solidified his reasons for embarking on the challenge.
His first visit to a children’s oncology ward organised by NCSM left a lasting impression.
“The children were frail while the parents looked helpless. It’s then that I felt like I was doing the right thing: to save the lives of children suffering from cancer and relieving their and the parents’ pains.”
Another unforgettable moment came when he met a retired teacher and his wife as he was running through Pekan, Pahang.
“His story was meaningful – while he wasn’t able to help children financially, he helped with his effort of accompanying me on my run and spreading the awareness. He actively stopped by eateries and spoke to the people about the cause,” he notes.
The couple accompanied Lim over multiple stages of his journey – including in Johor, Melaka and Penang for the final stretch – running alongside him as the wife supported from the side.
“They were so affectionate and caring for each other. As I watched them, it made me miss my late wife.”
When he finally crossed the finish line in George Town, Penang after nearly three months and 2,200km on the road, his wife was the one person on his mind.
"My first thought and words that came out were, 'Darling, we made it!'”
Although relieved to have completed the final 80km stretch, he says he was equally overwhelmed by the sight of family, friends, former classmates and strangers who welcomed him home, proving that a journey dedicated to the woman he loved had become one that touched lives along the way.
