Everyone thought he was the professor. But the gray-haired older man was a freshman medical student, just like the rest of the class. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy family and friends were surprised at first. Several of my friends thought I was crazy wanting to study medicine at this age,\u201d Toh Hong Keng, a retired Malaysian executive, said over a coffee in Hong Kong, where he has been living for decades. <\/p>\n
This July, at 70, Toh became one of the world\u2019s oldest students to graduate from medical school. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t always easy,\u201d said the freshly minted medical graduate of the Southwestern University PHINMA in Cebu, Philippines. \u201cAt 65 to 70 years old, my memory, eyesight, hearing and body are not as good as when I was younger.\u201d <\/p>\n
Toh spent most of his life working in tech sales. But, for him, retirement didn\u2019t bring long lunches and games of golf. Instead, each day for five years, he immersed himself in anatomy textbooks, aided by flashcards, reading glasses and large mugs of coffee. <\/p>\n
Even for someone with multiple degrees, the material wasn\u2019t easy. He was held back a year after failing a pediatrics exam in his third year. And in his final year, he was required to complete a one-year placement at private and public hospitals, with some shifts lasting a grueling 30 hours. <\/p>\n
\u201cActually, why do I have to do this? Maybe I should give up,\u201d Toh recalled saying to himself many times during those years. <\/p>\n
His family constantly checked on him, helping to dispel many waves of doubt. And his classmates, many decades younger than him, would remind him that giving up would be a waste. <\/p>\n
But Toh said one word became his mantra, keeping him going. <\/p>\n
\u201cSayang\u201d \u2014 a phrase in the Tagalog language meaning it would be a shame not to see it through. \u201cSir Toh,\u201d his classmates would affectionately tell him, \u201cIf you give up now, it will be sayang.\u201d <\/p>\n
During five years of intensive study, Toh never asked for any special consideration and had \u201ca very strong resolve\u201d to persevere, said Dr Marvi Dulnuan-Niog, dean of the medical school. \u201cMr Toh is already an accomplished businessman and professional, yet he is still very open to new things. He was very passionate and persevering.\u201d <\/p>\n
Toh said he never had grand ambitions as a child to become a doctor. The idea came up when he met two young Indian medical students during a vacation in the central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan in 2018. <\/p>\n
That encounter over lunch sparked an idea that he might one day be able to pursue a medical degree. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe only reason why I decided to study medicine was because I wanted something useful to do,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve done different courses. I\u2019ve done economics, I\u2019ve done chemistry, I\u2019ve done electronic engineering \u2013 but I don\u2019t want to do that again.\u201d <\/p>\n
To Toh, medicine meant taking an entirely different direction. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can\u2019t be a practicing doctor, at least I can look after myself somewhat,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
After signing off from his last day in the corporate world in 2019, Toh spent weeks studying for entrance exams and applied to nearly a dozen universities across Asia. <\/p>\n