“I am Lee San-san, I have a story to tell,” read the cards. “In 2017, I was hospitalised for a number of reasons. It was the first time I felt such severe symptoms: fever, cold sweats, weakness in my body and breathing difficulties. I struggled to see and my vision turned black. That feeling of being suffocated really made me feel like I was on the brink of death. The specialists couldn’t diagnose what was wrong with me even after going for different tests and the symptoms kept appearing. I was hovering between life and hell every day.”

“Until one day, I consulted a Dr Lau and I finally realised that there’s this illness called panic disorder. Luckily, Dr Lau taught me that mental illnesses are actually like catching a cold or having a flu in the sense that they can be cured. I then shared my diagnosis with my most trusted friends, and explained to them what I had, that it was just like having the flu, that it’s no big deal!”

“I then did two things: go for regular check-ups and take my medication regularly. And with the support of my friends who stayed by my side, my condition got better and my panic disorder never happened again. And I no longer felt like I was on the brink of death. I knew my condition could be controlled.”

“Looking back now, I’m glad that I was adamant on finding out the cause of my illness, and only when you know the cause can you find the right way to treat it. Mental health issues are actually no different from physical sickness. You just need to find the right doctor, take the right medication and you will get well. I chose to open about what I went through with everybody because I hope that friends who are suffering from similar experiences or if you have friends who are going through the same thing, can share their story too.”

But San-san’s revelation wasn’t the only surprise of the vid. At the end of the clip, her pals like Louis Koo, Sammi Cheng, Bowie Lam and casino heiress Laurinda Ho made appearances to cheer her on as well as to advocate the importance of ending the stigma on mental illness. It’s a cause that’s clearly close to their hearts, especially for Sammi who opened up about her battle with depression some years back.