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96-year-old Li Ka-shing rarely appears in public: in very good spirits! His foundation donates breakthrough liver cancer treatment equipment

2024-08-28

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According to a report by Dute News, Li Ka-shing, 96, has been living in seclusion since his retirement in 2018 and rarely appears in public. On August 27, he suddenly "appeared" at a press conference with a bright smile on his face and looked in very good spirits.

According to reports, the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKU Faculty of Medicine) recently announced that it has received a donation from the Li Ka Shing Foundation of a breakthrough new liver cancer treatment device - the Histotripsy medical device.

The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong held a press conference on the 27th. Li Ka-shing, who had not been seen for a long time, "appeared" as a special guest without warning for about 3 minutes. He witnessed the donation through a live connection and expressed his support for this technology.

Li Ka-shing greeted the audience with his signature wave on the big screen. He had a bright smile on his face and was in very good spirits. He also took photos with Liu Zexing, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, and others remotely.

Reporters saw at the scene that Li Ka-shing's eyes were still bright and he believed that he was in good health.

According to reports, Histotripsy is a new non-invasive technology that uses high-intensity ultrasound to precisely destroy cancer cells without damaging surrounding healthy tissue. This innovative patented technology uses ultrasound to target cancer cells and form microbubbles within the tumor. These bubbles expand and contract rapidly, generating shock waves to destroy and liquefy target tumor cells. Its operating principle is different from high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) thermal therapy, which uses ultrasound to heat target cell tissues.

Regarding this technology, Li Ka-shing said: "It is incredible that bubbles can cure cancer. Medical technology research, innovation and application are not only the key to giving society hope, but also bring economic prospects... The treatment device will provide Hong Kong liver cancer patients with painless, high cure rate and more affordable treatment options. I hope that this innovative technology can be applied to more treatment areas, which will not only bring good news to patients, but also reduce the burden on the medical system."

In addition, Histotripsy technology originates from the research and development results of the team of Professor Xu Zhen, a Chinese scientist at the University of Michigan. Li Ka-shing recently had a video conversation with Xu Zhen to learn about this breakthrough medical technology.During the conversation, Li Ka-shing said frankly that after learning about this technology, "I was very excited and couldn't sleep for several nights!"

On March 16, 2018, four companies of the Cheung Kong Group held a joint performance briefing, and Li Ka-shing, then 90 years old, announced his retirement.

Before retiring, Li Ka-shing had said many times that after retirement, he would "put on new uniforms" and devote himself to the place that he cared about most: the Li Ka-shing Foundation. According to Li Ka-shing's public statements, the Li Ka-shing Foundation is his "third son."

Public information shows that the Li Ka Shing Foundation was established in Hong Kong in 1980. Li Ka Shing once publicly revealed that he was thinking about the significance of the establishment of the foundation at that time, and even couldn't sleep all night because of it. Initially, the foundation mainly donated to the development of industries such as education and medical care, including Shantou University, which was started in 1981 - this is also the only university in the world that has been continuously donated by the foundation.

But over the past 40 years, the Li Ka-shing Foundation has always kept a low profile, and the outside world knows very little about the foundation's investments and operations. In 2006, when Li Ka-shing accepted the "Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award" in Singapore, he publicly stated that the foundation already had a lot of assets at the time and defined it as "my third son." Since then, the market has gradually paid more attention to the Li Ka-shing Foundation. As early as 2012, when the separation plan was announced, Li Ka-shing stated that most of his one-third equity in LKS Unity, the core entity of the Cheung Kong Group's wealth, would be transferred to the Li Ka-shing Foundation.

According to the official website of the Li Ka Shing Foundation,To date, Mr. Li Ka-shing has donated more than HK$30 billion to promote education, medical care, and charity poverty alleviation projects.

It is worth noting that in February this year, Forbes announced the 2024 list of the top 50 richest people in Hong Kong, China. Li Ka-shing, the founder of the Cheung Kong Group, retained his position as the richest man in Hong Kong, China with a net worth of US$36.2 billion (approximately HK$282.36 billion).

edit|He Xiaotao Gai Yuanyuan

Proofreading|Wang Yuelong

Daily Economic News Comprehensive Yomiuri Shimbun, Meike APP, public information

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