CHASING DAYLIGHT - HOW MY FORTHCOMING DEATH TRANSFORMED MY LIFE
Eugene O’Kelly, The McGraw-Hill Companies, US$12.57 on www.amazon.com
Life is full of surprises, with death the biggest one. But when the unexpected happens, it can also imbue life with a fresh perspective.
Handling the prospect of death, however, is never an easy task. Someone who knew this all too well was Eugene O’Kelly. The chairman and CEO of KPMG, one of the world’s largest accounting and tax firms, prided himself on being prepared for every situation he could possibly think of – except death. In May 2005, the 53-year-old was diagnosed with late-stage brain cancer and given only between three and six months to live.
True to his type-A personality (this was a man whose travel schedule was set 18 months in advance), O’Kelly, who certainly wasn’t ready for the inevitable outcome of his disease, planned his final days with all the vigour and efficiency that he was known to invest in his work.
Chasing Daylight is an inspiring testimony to one man’s race against the unstoppable ticking of the clock. Instead of sinking into self pity, O’Kelly went about methodically accomplishing a simple but concise must-do list.
Six days after he received the bad news, he resigned as CEO in order to pursue new priorities: reconnect with friends while saying his goodbyes, live in the moment, enjoying time with his wife Corinne and 14-year-old daughter, and yes, write this book. (It was left to Corinne to write the final chapter). He died three and a half months after he learned of his cancer.
“Must the end of life be the worst part? Can it be made the best?” O’Kelly proved it could be the latter. And in trying to create “perfect moments” with loved ones and friends, he discovered how few such experiences enriched his previous life as a high-flyer.
The book delivers no earth-shattering truths but serves as a reminder to readers, who may be in business or not, the importance of maintaining a separate life outside of work. O’Kelly was indeed a man of unbelievable courage.
Rosana Cheng
