HER left cheek, neck and tongue had turned a horrifying black from radiation therapy, but she refused to let the illness drag her down, nor stop her from giving to others.

Madam Tan Lee Siang, 62, a senior teacher at Anderson Primary School, was diagnosed with bone cancer six years ago after she found a lump in her cheek.

“The cancer actually gave me strength, because every day is a bonus to me,” Madam Tan said in Mandarin.

That belief became the foundation of her philanthropic efforts.

She contributed $40,000 towards the construction of Hope Primary School in China’s Anhui Province two years ago, and donated a month’s salary to the victims of the Sichuan earthquake last year.

Last year, she gave about $20,000 to charities in Singapore and in 2007, she gave $56,000 – more than half her annual salary – to both Singaporean and overseas charities.

“I feel that I can contribute to society. If you get the chance to live a few more days, you should spend them doing something useful,” she said.

She stressed that it was not the size of the donations which mattered, but the values behind such acts of kindness.

She wants to impart what she sees as traditional Chinese values to others, virtues such as compassion and being contented.

“They are valuable because, with them, people can live life with dignity,” she said.

She published 1,000 copies of books and CDs that teach moral values, paying for them out of her own pocket, and donated them to schools in China in 2005.

In January, she printed a further 6,000 copies of such books for distribution to all primary schools in China.

She taught her two children lessons in altruism when they were young, by rewarding their good work in school with money and then taking them to charities to donate the cash.

Madam Tan obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Language and Literature six years ago, as well as a Master of Arts in Chinese Language and Literature in 2007 from SIM University (UniSIM).

She was lauded for her contributions to society by UniSIM last Saturday.

Mr Luo Fu Teng, head of Uni- SIM’s Chinese programme and her professor for seven years, said he admired her strong sense of moral values.

“She’s kind-hearted and considerate to other people. It’s very difficult to meet someone like her who is willing to give so much,” he said.

When asked about her health, Mdm Tan said: “I’m as strong as an ox. Everyone encounters a lot of challenges in life, but we’ll get through them.”

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