The Christmas spirit is in full bloom, and you don't need to be Christian to love the holiday. This is a joyous season when people are happy to give gifts to loved ones.
While the world is celebrating the birth of Jesus -- the Ultimate Gift Giver -- I would like to take this opportunity to talk about two Thai figures whose spirits of giving are very outstanding and inspiring.
The first person can't be anyone but Artiwara Kongmalai, a famous rock singer popularly known as Toon Bodyslam, who has been out on the road for nearly two months running a cross-country super-marathon for charity called Kao Kon La Kao. He is scheduled to hit the finish line today.
The 38-year-old rock star has become the talk of the town ever since he kicked off the 55-day challenge in Betong of Yala, the southernmost province of Thailand, early last month, and has been running through 20 provinces along a planned distance of 2,191km to the northernmost Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai.
This is the longest solo charity run we have ever seen in the kingdom, and his determination has inspired so many people to step out and run with him amidst the cheerful crowds. The project was born of good intentions, to raise 700 million baht for 11 state hospitals in need of medical equipment. The donations have so far surpassed 900 million baht.
Toon has created a phenomenon. His arduously long run doesn't only encourage us to pay more attention to exercise but also to cultivate a sense of sharing. And this is not the first time the marathon-loving star has devoted his time and energy for the sake of others. A year ago, he raised 85 million baht for the Bang Saphan community hospital in Prachuap Khiri Khan by running 400km from Bangkok to the hospital in 10 days.
Toon doesn't only win the hearts of Thais, who now call him a hero, but also impresses those in many other countries, who join hands to show him their moral support on social media.
Another person who has contributed a great deal to the country's public health is a female pharmacist/scientist/activist globally known as the creator of the world's first generic "cocktail" pill for the treatment of HIV/Aids. I'm talking about Dr Krisana Kraisintu, who has played a major role in helping the HIV-positive in Thailand and Africa.
Newer generations might not know much about her. Two decades ago, Dr Krisana successfully formulated the world's cheapest antiretroviral drugs for Thais. She then moved on to Africa, spending nine years helping countries across the continent produce generic drugs, also at incredibly cheap prices. Her drugs have saved countless lives; she is affectionately called "gypsy pharmacist" by the Africans.
Her audacious crusade to fight the Aids epidemic and the pharmaceutical industry's unyielding control over lifesaving drugs has earned her many international awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for public service, Asia's equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize, which she received in 2009. She is currently the honorary dean of the Faculty of Oriental Medicines at Rangsit University.
Her name has not been forgotten. Early this month, Microsoft CEO and world's richest man Bill Gates marked World Aids Day by praising the 65-year-old pharmacist and a Zambian tribal chief, Jonathan Eshiloni Mumena, for their efforts in combating the deadly disease. He calls them "Heroes In The Field".
"Guided by her belief that health care is a basic human right, Dr Krisana Kraisintu, a pharmacist from Thailand, has worked tirelessly to make medicines affordable to even the poorest in the world," wrote Gates on his official Facebook page, on which he also presented a video clip depicting her work.
The fruit of her hard work is summed up in the following message: "Her development of generic versions of the lifesaving HIV drugs dramatically reduced treatment costs, saving and improving countless lives. She has also dedicated her pharmaceutical skills to reduce treatment costs for malaria and other diseases."
Working in different fields and coming from entirely different backgrounds, though, both Toon and Dr Krisana have at least one thing in common: a heart of gold. Their selfless actions have a lot to say about their loving and caring souls and this makes them the prides of Thailand.
Obviously, they are among many other great givers the world has known, and I hope their stories inspire many to look back into their own hearts and help make the world more compassionate, ideally starting this Christmas.
Patcharawalai Sanyanusin is a writer for Life section of The Bangkok Post.
