THE SINGING SURGEON WHO IS SA ING LI ES
Inspiring cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Wilhelm Lichtenberg, aka the Singing Surgeon and founder of Young Hearts Africa, won the award in the NGO NPO category.
The Young Hearts Africa Foundation operates solely for the purposes of raising desperately needed funds to pay for life-saving surgery and care re uired by children of indigent families. Without the surgeries these children would not survive.
Dr Lichtenberg explained what the term “conscious leadership” means to him: “I believe it is a uestion of being totally present in every moment of your existence so that you are aware of those around you more than of yourself. It’s to try and make a difference because that is what we were put here to do.”
He was delighted to receive the recognition of winning the Conscious Companies Awards. “It’s the credibility that an award of this stature will give Young Hearts Africa and we will benefit from it when we go in search of the much needed funds we need to do the work we do. It’s not about me but about the organisation.” he said.
“It’s very easy to become despondent, depressed and disillusioned about what is happening in South Africa at the moment but there’s no point in doing that. If we want to change this country and take it to where we know it can be, it is up to all of us and is everyone’s responsibility. As Gandhi said, You must be the change you want to see in the world.’ Just go and do it.”
He can still recall the moment that changed his life more than 30 years ago when a young girl died after a long operation because she had come to the hospital too late for help.