A bond across continents: (Left) Dr Khaw seen in one of her last pictures at the Dolomites mountain range in Italy.
PETALING JAYA: The morning of July 18 would be etched in sorrow for Melissa Koe Shu Fen.
That was the day she learned her mother – a beloved doctor in Kedah – had died after a fall while hiking in Italy.
Dr Khaw Bee Ling, 60, an internal medicine specialist in Sungai Petani was climbing Mount Croda del Becco in Italy’s Dolomites mountain range.
She was an avid hiker who had summited many peaks around the world, such as Mount Kinabalu in Sabah and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
“I was in shock. I felt like a robot, writing down details on a hotel notepad, figuring out who to call first – my husband, my aunt, the embassy or my mum’s friends.
“It felt like the feeling of safety and security of having her around was suddenly taken from me. I’m still her kid,” said the US-based Koe, who was in Atlanta, Georgia, for work at the time.
She said the news was especially devastating as her mother had made painstaking preparations for her Italy trip since last year.
From Dolomites hiking guide books to detailed research on the mountain, she said Dr Khaw had even prepared tents and sleeping bags since booking flight tickets last year.
Her death broke the hearts of those who knew her. The hospital where she worked put out an obituary, describing her as “a physician whose life was a testament to healing, kindness and unwavering dedication”.
“Though she may be gone, her light endures in the lives she healed and the love she shared.”
Dr Khaw with Koe at a family get-together.
But for her only daughter Koe, 28, Khaw was a single mother determined to give her only child every opportunity to thrive.
She grew up watching her mother pour her energy into both family and work.
“My mum was the first generation of college graduates in our family and her determination to rewrite our family story is why I am here today,” said Koe, who is a community organising specialist in Minnesota, where she spends her days pushing for social change to improve the livelihoods of the community.
“She was goofy, hardworking but determined to give me a better life and her empathy for others really showed as she frequently donated to charitable causes while I was young,” Koe said.
“She taught me that dreams should not just be for ourselves but for our community. She shaped my activism and will now be the greatest gift she has left for me as I hope to inspire others just like how she did for me,” she said.
Koe said she has found solace in her final memories with her mother from when they met face-to-face in September last year when they shared heart-to-heart chats.
“I will forever be grateful that we were able to reignite our close relationship as not just mother and daughter but also as friends since we have been calling each other more frequently since,” she added.
Koe said there had been many heartwarming stories told to her by Dr Khaw’s friends and colleagues.
“It gave me a new perspective on my mother as I always knew she helped people, but I didn’t realise how much until after her passing.
“There were so many stories of her donating to many causes, caring for people diligently at work and while hiking.
“But the thing that really touched my heart was the way she spoke so proudly of me to everyone she met. Hearing these stories made me proud to be her daughter,” Koe said.
