We Are HKers - Dr Lucci Lugee Liyeung | Holding a scalpel by day and a paintbrush by night

Dr Lucci Lugee Liyeung treats numerous orthopedics patients by day, but once she takes off her scrubs, she is an artist that gives life to many popular cartoon characters. When she talks about these characters, her eyes sparkle with excitement. She hopes that her creations will give Hongkongers positive energy during these difficult times.

“There have been many changes lately in society. I think it’s good enough to do one’s part at all times with no regrets. Strive to keep positive. There is a silver lining or something positive in any unhappy situation. ”

— Dr Lucci Lugee Liyeung

Journalist: Miff

Photos: Onehungrycoconut

Translator: Zucchhi

Editorial: Snowyeok, King Kenny, Lightning Bug

[This story is also featured on Apple Daily.]

Duma the Cheetah becomes a comic character

I’ve always loved animals ever since I was young. I was especially curious about the wild animals I saw in documentaries. After graduating in the UK, I went to Africa to be a wildlife conservationist the year before I returned to Hong Kong. It was there that I encountered an unforgettable friend—Duma, the cheetah, who became the inspiration for one of my cartoon characters. After Duma’s mother was killed by hunters, he was brought to a conservation centre and I was in charge of his care. I would take him for walks and feed him and we slowly bonded. He would happily run over whenever he saw me and we would play together.

After I returned to Hong Kong, I could not forget Duma. Since drawing has been one of my hobbies since childhood, I created the character Dumo with Duma as my inspiration. When the pandemic first started last year, I released Dr Dumo et al, a cartoon series for children which provided them with easy to understand ways to counter the pandemic, delivered in a fun way. It was unexpectedly well received. Dr Dumo, a cheetah, is one of the characters in addition to his other wild animal friends.

Creating children’s cartoons as a medical doctor

Dr Dumo et al was released because I noticed that pandemic information was geared towards adults with lots of words and unappealing graphics. Therefore, I decided to design a series of easily understandable drawings in hopes that children would understand what the pandemic was about. At first, I only planned to distribute these drawings to friends and family, but when I shared them on Facebook, I didn’t anticipate such a huge response with so much attention.

Because of the popularity of Dr Dumo et al, a publisher asked me if I’d like to publish a book. I know that there’s a dearth of children’s books with medical knowledge so Hospital Buddies was released. Under the assumption that the pandemic was over and Dr Dumo and the other animal doctors had all returned to their respective roles, I was able to tell a story, introduce and familiarize children with common hospital departments to reduce their fear and anxiety.

These two books touch upon other medical specialties so I’ve asked other doctors to verify and double check the information for errors, and point out areas that need revision. Compared to how I used to be able to create carefreely, I am now much more attuned to the needs of my audience. Everyone hopes that as a doctor, I can illustrate more medically related topics and that is what I intend to do. However, I still want to keep the spirit and form of my characters to prevent the commercialization of my creations.

Drawing is my record and my memory

Drawing allows me to evoke and remember my memories. If something happens in my life that I don’t want to forget or something is funny, I’ll draw to record it. I get a lot of inspiration from working at the hospital, like my interactions with patients, for example. Sometimes I’ll draw on the casts of children that I’ve treated to close the distance between us.

Through drawing, I’d also like to pique everyone’s interest in different issues; therefore, I think drawing is useful in a lot of areas. There isn’t necessarily any conflict between liking animals, drawing, and my work as a doctor. In fact, they can even be interconnected. In the future, I hope that I can keep improving as a medical doctor as well as continue drawing cartoons as my hobby.

Raised in Hong Kong, playing one’s part

I left to study in the UK during secondary school, but in the end, I chose to come back to Hong Kong to study medicine and become a doctor. I think it’s because I grew up here and feel a sense of belonging. After all, the most important memories in my life were established here.

There have been many changes lately in society. I think it’s good enough to do one’s part at all times with no regrets. There are a lot of things that we cannot change. The only thing we can change is our attitude: give it your all when working and strive to keep positive. There is a silver lining or something positive in any unhappy situation. Although the pandemic has been weighing down heavily on society, I find that Hongkongers can come together in times of adversity. I hope my cartoons can bring a positive message and a bit of happiness to everyone in this negative environment.

“I am Dr Lucci Lugee Liyeung. I am a HKer.”

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Dr Lucci Lugee Liyeung | Holding a scalpel by day and a paintbrush by night

Dr Lucci Lugee Liyeung treats numerous orthopedics patients by day, but once she takes off her scrubs, she is an artist that gives life to many popular cartoon characters. When she talks about these characters, her eyes sparkle with excitement. She hopes that her creations will give Hongkongers positive energy during these difficult times.

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This article was featured on Apply Daily English Version. See the article @ https://hk.appledaily.com/news/20210410/7ZGSZJURVVC2XAPX742PBKG64E/