An immigrant from China with only $50 became a world-class doctor and inventor, and now a movie, SIGHT, is based on his remarkable life story. | Dr. Ming Wang

Dr. Ming Wang is a Harvard & MIT (MD, magna cum laude); PhD (laser physics),
and is one of the few laser eye surgeons in the world today who holds
a doctorate degree in laser physics.

The film “Sight” is based on Dr. Wang’s autobiography “From Darkness to Sight,” co-starring Greg Kinnear.

As a teenager, Ming fought poverty and hardship in China and came to
America with only $50 and earned two doctorate degrees, one in laser
physics and one in medicine, and graduated with the highest honors
from Harvard Medical School and MIT.

Amniotic membrane contact lens, which Dr. Wang invented for
which he holds two U.S. patents, has been used by tens of thousands of
eye doctors in nearly every nation throughout the world, and millions
of patients have had their eyesight restored.

Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration has helped patients from over
Forty states in the U.S. and 55 countries, with all sight restoration
surgeries performed free of charge.

Dr. Wang was named the Kiwanis Nashvillian of the Year for his lifelong dedication to helping blind orphaned children worldwide. An immigrant from China with only $50 became a world-class doctor and inventor, and now a movie, SIGHT, is based on his remarkable life story.

Don't miss this remarkable interview.


Links to Dr. Ming Wang:

https://drmingwang.com/

SIGHT movie based on his life story:

https://angel.com/sight

3 books recommended by Dr. Ming Wang:

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie: https://amzn.to/3KP2k9W
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
by Jonathan Haidt: https://amzn.to/3VyXZMS
Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klien: https://amzn.to/4c9v7Sw

-Links-

https://www.svetkapopov.com/

https://www.instagram.com/svetka_popov/

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

I take care of people with vision problems. You know who appreciates sight the most? Those who used to be blind. Who appreciates freedom the most? Those who used to not have freedom. So sight the movie. It's about the experience of someone who used to not have freedom and who appreciates so much what we have in America.

Speaker 2: 0:20

Hey friends, welcome to the Ones who Dared podcast, where stories of courage are elevated. I'm your host, vekka, and every other week you'll hear interviews from inspiring people. My hope is that you will leave encouraged. I'm so glad you're here, dr Ming Wang. It is a great honor to have you. You are a rare and remarkable human being, which makes you the perfect candidate for the Once we Dare podcast. Thank you so much for your time.

Speaker 1: 0:54

Thank you, svetlana, appreciate the opportunity.

Speaker 2: 0:57

Yes. So Dr Ming Wang is a Harvard and MIT graduate and is one of the few laser eye surgeons in the world today who holds a doctorate degree in laser physics. The most recent film, sight, is based on Dr Wang's autobiography called From Darkness to Sight. Dr Wang holds two US patents which he invented and has been used by tens of thousands of eye doctors around the world, and millions of patients have benefited from their eyes being restored as a result of it. Yet, dr Wang, your journey has not been an easy one. Can you take us to the beginning of your story and the context of what was going on and how your journey to kind of get to where you are today?

Speaker 1: 1:41

Sure, I grew up in China during a period called Cultural Revolution, where, from 1966 to 1976, the government shut down all universities and colleges of entire China and forcefully deported to some of the poorest part of the country and condemned each high school graduate a lifetime of poverty and hard labor. Over 20 years of cultural revolution, they sent away to labor camp 20 million high school graduates for life, and in 1974, I was 14. I finished my junior high, despite being a straight student. I will be sent away to labor camp for life. So I found out that, in order to avoid this devastating fate of being sent away to labor camp, I can play a music instrument called Chinese violin, which you saw in the film Sight, and learn how to dance, because if I could do these things, I can get into government song and dance to avoid being sent away to labor camp. But that didn't work, so I was going to be sent away to labor camp, just like 20 million others, for life.

Speaker 2: 2:58

And why do you think they decided to deport their youth? What was the reasoning behind that?

Speaker 1: 3:04

I think for people with education, it's a threat to a government that rely upon, you know, control, and so that's the main reason. So I was going to be sent with the labor camp, but then I got lucky 1976 camp, the cultural revolution ended, china reopened all its colleges and I got a chance to, you know, just apply for college, even though I did not really go to high school. My parents did not want me to wait. They were afraid the government could change their mind again. You see, for people who has no freedom, when freedom can, even briefly, they appreciate it. Yeah, so I was able to manage to get into college and then in 1982, with 50 dollars in my pocket, with a chinese english dictionary, knowing no one in this country could hardly speak in english. Um, I came to amer, even though I was penniless, but I was happy because I was free.

Speaker 2: 4:09

That's incredible, and before you came to the States, though, your parents realized that you know, in order for you to have these kind of opportunities, what were some things that you had to do to when the doors opened up for universities to open back up and you had the opportunity to just study again? What were some things that were going on back there?

Speaker 1: 4:28

yeah, because I didn't go to senior high school so I practically have to cover three years worth of course in two months and compete against other 12 graders because I only had nine grade education and for that 1% chance of getting to college, because only 1% of 12 graders in China in 1976 could get into college. Why so small percentage? It was because there were 10 years of backlog of students. They finished high school from 1966 to 76. They were not allowed to go to college because our college was shut down. So they all came back 10 years ago to apply for college. All in one year, 1976.

Speaker 2: 5:10

That's remarkable, and so did your parents feel like you had that 1% chance, or did they just say, hey, this is what we got to do and we're just going to give it the best shot? What was I just want to know like? What were you feeling, what were your parents feeling, what was that scene like just in real life?

Speaker 1: 5:29

um as it's showing the film. It was a long shot, but my parents was very clear. I said why could I wait for three years? You know, go back to 10th, 11th, 12th and three years later apply for college. They no, because what if the government shut down college again next year? For another 10 years. So we all knew it was a long shot, but my parents really helped me and to study and they drove me you know I was studying like 15 hours a day and I did get into college because they helped and to university science and technology of China, which is like called MIT of China, very strong in technology. So I'm very grateful to my parents. So the film site is dedicated to my parents yeah, it's a.

Speaker 2: 6:15

It's a remarkable film. So you get here to the United States with $50 in your pocket, you don't speak English, you don't have any contact with anyone in us. Like what is going through your mind? You just get off the plane, you're at the airport. It's like what were you feeling? What was going on?

Speaker 1: 6:34

it was amazing experience as a 21 year old. Uh, soon after I arrived, I arrived with two other guys you saw in the film and we walked on american campus and, um, it was very interesting because, uh, we, we were all in three-piece suits, but people we realized on american campus were pretty casual. There are people in chairs and sandals. So, even though we may be three of the poor students, but we were probably the best dressed. That's awesome. We have three pieces of suit, because my parents spent two months of their salary, bought me that three pieces of suit and they said you're going to America, they dress very nicely there.

Speaker 1: 7:14

So we have to, you know, change quickly. We have to dress like American, otherwise people will keep on laughing at us. But by then I only had $10. How could you dress like American with only $10? Well, salvation Army you saw in the film got in. With a quarter, you can buy a pair of pants. We came out. We did dress like Americans, all right, but we got more laughs this time. Why? Because that was 1902. We were dressed in the clothes that people used to wear in the late 1960s, you know, bell-bottom pants.

Speaker 1: 7:48

Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh my gosh, so that was quite a beginning coming to America.

Speaker 2: 7:54

When you came here. What made you apply to become an eye doctor to begin with? Why did you choose that route?

Speaker 1: 8:01

First I got myself enrolled in graduate school to study a PhD in laser physics. I went to University of Maryland and then finished postdoc at MIT. So at age 26, I was a laser physicist and then with a PhD. Then I thought well, you know, I want to be, I always want to be a doctor. But in China I couldn't even go to high school. So here I said okay, this is a land of freedom, I should be able to realize what my dream is. So I decided to get my second doctorate degree, this time in medicine. And so I got my second doctorate degree, an MD from Harvard and MIT joint program. So 1991, I graduated. So it was two doctorate degrees, one in laser physics PhD, one MD from Harvard and MIT. And then I got training as an eye doctor, laser eye surgeon. I've done about 55,000 laser vision corrections now at Svetlana, including over 4,000 doctors.

Speaker 2: 9:03

Wow, it's funny because you have a total of around what 30-some years of schooling. Now, yeah, is that? Correct, so it's like you skipped some but then you overcompensated almost right. Yeah, that's amazing. What do you feel is the drive? I mean, watching your film site was incredible and I recommend to anyone listening to go out and see the film. It's in theater still today but may not be soon, so just encouraging y'all to go see it. It was remarkable. What was some of the biggest challenges for you coming as a Chinese immigrant to America?

Speaker 1: 9:41

Many, many challenges. The first is the language, and I realized, not just language, I have to learn a culture, and I found a very quick way of doing both by watching american films. So I found a little broken down theater called biography in washington dc and I went there almost every night for a year. For one dollar you can see two feature films and old american films. So I have to learn the language, the culture, and also I have to support myself financially.

Speaker 1: 10:13

I came to america with only 50 dollars, so I had to find different jobs and at one point I was working in the burger king, a restaurant, western Hotel, cleaning somebody's house, and during daytime, working in the laboratory in the university and also to really, you know, learn about America, you know. However, it's interesting, svetlana Khatia, even though I thought it was a disadvantage, you know, coming to a new culture, new country, at age 21, I had to learn everything and leave my family and everything behind, but now I realize in some sense it is an advantage because I actually got myself stretched at age 21, learned a broader aspect of human living, learned a totally different culture from east to west, and so I think I benefited from that stretch of being exposed to a wider range of human experience.

Speaker 2: 11:12

Yeah, and what kept you going? I mean to have multiple jobs, to study nonstop. What was your motivator behind all that?

Speaker 1: 11:19

Yeah, I think probably two. One is I was brought up that way as a kid, at age three or four, I remember seeing my parents working so hard. We were very, very poor Half the time. I was hungry, didn't have enough to eat, but my parents, despite that poverty, they were able to see beyond the circumstance and believe there's a better tomorrow. So I was imprinted as a kid seeing my parents work so hard.

Speaker 1: 11:50

I remember as a kid, three and a half four years old, playing on the floor, looking up, saw my father. We only could afford eight-watt electricity every month. Eight-watt is like a fraction of one bulb. That's all the electricity we could afford. So when he hung up this little 8 watt lamp too high, the room would be illuminated, but it would be too high for him to read books. But when he handed the light bulb too low, his book would be illuminated, but the whole room would be too dark.

Speaker 1: 12:19

So he found a way. He hung up in the ceiling, but he put two chairs, one on top of each other. He climbed up on the ceiling, but he put two chairs, one on top of each other. He climbed up on the top chair, sat there. It was summer, we never had air conditioning or heater or cooler, never had a telephone. So he was bare chested with shorts and he was reading books with that 8 watt lamp right in front of the book. And I remember, looking up, saw on his back hundreds of little swirl sweats and that just mentally impressed the impression imprinting, imprinting me as a kid to work hard and dedicate to myself, to whatever I do. But also later on, in teenage years, as I say, cultural revolution cut off all my future. So I had to fight because otherwise, you know, I would have no future. It's almost like fighting with the back of river behind you. If you step halfway, step back, you'll fall into the river.

Speaker 2: 13:13

So I have to fight well, yeah, do you find that sometimes people who don't have the freedoms or didn't have the freedoms and they enter into America? Now that is full of opportunities. We're not a perfect country, but nonetheless we have opportunities, unlike most places in the world. Do you feel that you appreciate that more because of lack of it in other places?

Speaker 1: 13:36

Yes, yes, you know, every day I take care of people with vision problems. You know who appreciates sight the most? Those who used to be blind. Yeah, who appreciates freedom the most? Those who used to not have freedom. So sight the movie. It's about the experience of someone who used to not have freedom and who appreciates so much what we have in America and have the freedom, and really want to send a message through the film sight to America that we should appreciate what we have in America and have the freedom, and really want to send a message through the film side to America that we should appreciate what we have by being more willing to work together to overcome our polarization, find a common ground once again as fellow Americans.

Speaker 2: 14:20

Yeah, for sure. And when you, after you arrived, you went through schooling, how did you get the job that you got?

Speaker 1: 14:28

So I, after 31 years of schooling, as we mentioned, two doctorate degrees, one PhD in laser physics.

Speaker 2: 14:35

Which is remarkable. I mean, just think about that 30 some years of schooling. Like who does that?

Speaker 1: 14:41

Yeah, and then the second doctorate being MD, from Harvard, mit. So 1997, I finally got it done. I was ready to get a job and I got offered by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, tennessee. That's what brought me to the beautiful city of Nashville. So I've been here ever since, since 1997. And 2002, I started my own vision center, wang Vision Institute, and then I started Wang Foundation for sight restoration. I decided to devote myself not only doing laser vision correction for regular folks, you know, from age 18 to 107, to help improve their eyesight, but also to develop a big part of my energy and time to help those blind orphan children. People sometimes say why do you spend so much time helping those folks? We just feature. Their stories are featured in the film site, and my answer is very simple because I used to be in darkness myself and I know how they feel.

Speaker 2: 15:47

Yeah, and can you tell us how you came about inventing your technology?

Speaker 1: 15:53

In the film side. As you saw, I was trying to help this five-year-old blind orphan child from India who was a cajol. She was intentionally blinded by her own stepmother who poured sulfuric acid into her eyes when she was sleeping One night. They were trying to make Kajal a blind orphan child who can sing on the streets, who therefore will get more money from tourists. So Kajal was then found to have no talent of singing. She couldn't sing. That's why she was abandoned. So we found her in a train station, almost died from starvation.

Speaker 1: 16:28

We brought our foundation, brought her here, and Movie Sight is about Joe's remarkable journey to try to come from darkness to light and how in the process she has also helped me, her eye doctor, to come from my own darkness to light, emotionally and spiritually, and so in the process I was trying to figure out how can I restore her eyesight, because her eyes are very scarred up and the only type of person who persons who don't scar are unborn child. But how can you do research on fetus without hurting her life? And they say there's no common ground between faith and science. Is that really true? I myself I'm a Christian, so I asked God, I prayed and I asked God. Is there common ground between science and faith with the rapid development technology today and I even wrote the books Common Ground Bible Study with my pastor, and so I think at some point that God point I was working with other scientists at the time as well gave us an idea that perhaps the reason an unborn child can heal without scar is because before birth we were all wrapped by this placenta, the amniotic sac. So maybe the amniotic sac, the membrane, amniotic membranes will give an unborn child the ability to heal without scar.

Speaker 1: 17:49

So I got lots of placentas donated by mothers. After giving birth to children, the placentas are discarded anyway. So I got those placentas donated to me and I brought to the laboratory and I did research and eventually developed the amniotic membrane contact lens. When we put these amniotic fetal placental contact lenses onto injured eyes we found indeed a miracle happened. Scar is much reduced and sight is restored.

Speaker 1: 18:17

Then I decided to donate my patent to the world. I put my patent online and went around the world to 30, 40 different countries over a 20-year period and free of charge, taught about over 10,000 eye doctors in various different countries. Today M-near-the-membrane contact lens is a $5 billion industry. Actually, doctors from nearly every nation are using it. Millions of patients have their eyesight restored and the film side is about that, even though in the process, you know, I did not make any money at all myself. But the reason I did it is because I want to share what I have. I'm so grateful to have come to America with nothing and the opportunity to learn from the best. You know, china has given me the grit, the determination, the character, and America has given me the opportunity. So I want to pay back, I want to do what I can to help.

Speaker 2: 19:14

Yeah, that's remarkable. How long did it take you to create that patent or to create that technology?

Speaker 1: 19:19

Many, many years and the work, yeah, detailed in my autobiography From Darkness to Sight, which have been made into film Sight now co-starring Greg Kinnear and Terry Chang, and so many years. But it's an amazing technology. Today it's widely used and has restored eyesight in so many and it shows that not only the wonderful technology advancement which has brought so many people out of the darkness, but also it shows that science and faith can work together. That's what God wants.

Speaker 2: 19:53

Yeah, yeah, that is really, really remarkable. I'm just so blown away by your story. I think there's so much that we can learn and appreciate. I mean, you are probably one of the most hardworking people out on the planet, as you know the amount of hours that you put into study, which was what like 19 hour days, multiple jobs it seems like you just continue to persevere and work hard and have the tenacity and the resilience Do you ever rest?

Speaker 1: 20:23

Rest. What's that Actually? As a vetica, I actually find a way also to balance, you know, not just you know work enjoyment, but also work and family trying to. I actually spend time to ballroom dance because during cultural revolution I had to learn to dance. So I continued to develop into a hobby of ballroom dancing. So in fact I invented a concept called Eye Ball. It's a ballroom dance, eye charity. And even though for these blind orphan children these surgeries are free, however, we raise money to help their travel, lodging and education. So when you come to Eyeball you see the beautiful dance, but it reminds you how precious our eyesight is as human beings, because without eyesight we cannot see all the beautiful things in life and therefore how much we need to help those who have lost sight. And also, I continue playing my Chinese violin that I learned during cultural revolution to a state labor camp. Now it's really become a hobby. I use the instrument to showcase to the West some of the best from the East.

Speaker 2: 21:35

Yeah, and you also had a performance and recorded a song with Dolly Parton. How did that come about?

Speaker 1: 21:41

Yeah, she was Dolly's one of my patients and one day she walked in she said Dr Wang, I'm not here for my eye. I said what are you here for? She said I heard you play this Chinese violin. I want to make music with you. I said you Country music legend, which means what I consider myself a closet musician.

Speaker 1: 21:56

But long story short, she brought me to a studio and she sent an old country song. I played my Chinese violin and we have a CD out there called those Were the Days, and on the CD you listen to all these famous country stars Dolly Parton, alison Cross and blah blah blah Ming Wan, because I played the Chinese violin accompanying her in a song called the Cruel War. So it's a wonderful instrument and collaborating with Dolly is a wonderful experience of combining East and West and to make us all realize that when we combine culture together it's more beautiful, more powerful than in the culture alone yeah, and we do have a lot more in common than we, you know, than we think, because I think with um, just different, you know, people with different backgrounds, different stories.

Speaker 2: 22:46

At the end of the day, humanity all wants the same thing we want to belong, we want to be accepted and recognized for gifts who we are as a person and I love that your story brings that. It's one of my favorite scenes the movie and you share this in other places, so I don't think it's going to be too much of a spoiler. But when the professor essentially declined your entry and your resume, he didn't even look at your resume. Can you take us into that scene? I'd love for the listeners to hear about that.

Speaker 1: 23:13

I wanted to go to medical school in China and become a doctor. But I was not even allowed to go to high school during the Cultural Revolution. When I was in a free country America I said you know, I should realize my old dreams. So I went to the director of admission at Johns Hopkins and gave him the resume. I said I don't want to apply for med school. He didn't look at my resume. He looked to the side. He said where are you from? I said China for med school. He didn't look at my resume. He turned to the side. He said where are you from? I said China. He said look, do you know how hard it is to get into medical school, even for American students? You're from China, don't waste your time. So I was so mad I said in a free country I could be discriminated against. But then I realized you know what Cultural Revolution in China that was for myself to have a future. Now I can fight again, but not just for myself but also for all the other people who are being discriminated against. So I work even harder and I not only got into Johns Hopkins, I got into the number one medical school, harvard as well, and actually Professor Comey, which I talk about in my book. He didn't realize I was the same guy. He said hey, I saw. We, admit you, hopkins. I should have told him I was the same guy, but did you? Yeah, I didn't talk, but I realized that you know that. In fact.

Speaker 1: 24:27

Uh, three years ago, when the film was uh being shot in vancouver, this scene took place and, out of nowhere, with the young man who played me angry, walked away. When the professor said your chinese no good. Something out of script happened. I, the young Ming who played me angry, walked away when the professor said your Chinese is no good, something out of the script happened. I jumped into that limelight. They're under the watch for us 250 people, half of them were crew, half of them were cast.

Speaker 1: 24:46

I went straight to the professor and the professor actually had no idea what to do. He looked up, he said where did Ming come from? And I said professor, the sonotalkers keep on shooting, didn't stop. I said look at me. Do you know who I am? He shook his head. I said this is me from the future. You know what happened to me so many years ago. You said the horrible things to me You're Chinese, You're no good. I'm so glad I did not listen to you so, professor, because had I listened I would have given up. So, professor, today, after so many years, I time travel back because I want to tell you, professor, racial discrimination against any race, ethnicity, is wrong. So in a way, I did tell the professor what I did. But I think the point is the answer to the question how to end racism and discrimination lies within each of us. You know, don't believe that. Make something yourself. And then, yes, they come back to tell the person, hey, you're wrong.

Speaker 2: 25:48

Yeah, that's powerful. Yeah, I mean because we can. You can easily become a victim of the situation. Say you know, this person didn't give me the job, or I didn't get this opportunity because of X, y, y and z, so I am just going to kind of go inward and blame everybody else. Or we can take a proactive approach and say you know what that motivated you to work harder and to prove yourself. And if only that doctor, that professor, was alive today to see where you are today and there's a film made about you, I think he would fall off his chair.

Speaker 1: 26:16

That's right. Yes, the answer to the question how to end racism lies within each of us.

Speaker 2: 26:23

Yeah, what do you hope people get out of your story, out of your movie, your book? What do you hope the message is for the people?

Speaker 1: 26:31

The biggest message is that we live in a free country.

Speaker 1: 26:35

We don't have a perfect country.

Speaker 1: 26:36

We certainly have lots of problems to work out, but we live in the best nation because people, including myself, immigrants all over the world want to have an opportunity to live in America.

Speaker 1: 26:46

But, living in a free country, we always have had freedom we might have taken for granted. So Sight is a film that sends a message of re-appreciating America to America today about appreciating our freedom, our faith and our ability as fellow Americans to work together, to love each other despite our differences, to work across political aisles, racial divides and ethnic divisions to solve the problems we're all facing in our society Gun violence, opioid crisis, environmental disaster, jobs, education, racial tension, poverty and health care. But we need to solve this problem only when we remind ourselves America is great because of our ability to put the interests of our nation ahead of everything else God and country but also our ability to love each other despite the differences. So the symptoms of polarization, the division of our nation, is a reflection of a deeper problem that is, somehow we may have forgotten how blessed we are to live in America. So Sight is a film that sends the message about the reminder we need to reappreciate America by being more willing to overcome our polarization and find common ground once again as a nation.

Speaker 2: 28:13

Wow, that's powerful. Thank you so much for sharing that. Well, I really appreciate your time and I'm going to wrap this up with the last few questions of the podcast. One of them is what is the bravest thing you've ever done? And you have an extraordinary story, but give us an example of one the invention because it was clearly a dead end.

Speaker 1: 28:38

Because the only way to study a fetus an unborn child can heal without scars. So I can use the research to help my patients like Kajal and other patients who have injury and trauma, give off scars. But the only way to study a fetus is you may have heard a fetus, and I did not want to do that. I want to preserve life, protect life at the same time. So people think there's no common ground between faith and science and fortunately I was brave enough to persist and persevere and believe God wants science and faith to work together and realize that as a Christian, I should pray and I should ask God for guidance and help. So that was probably the bravest thing, because it was clearly there's no solution or answer. But I plowed forward and eventually realized that we can use this amniotic membrane, part of the placenta, to help these patients without hurting the fetus life, and so it's a way to do fetal research without hurting a baby. It's a way to do research and at the same time, protect life at the same time.

Speaker 2: 29:53

Yeah, that's a good one. What are three books that impacted your life?

Speaker 1: 29:58

Many, but I will name a few. One is Jonathan Hyatt has a book called Righteous Mind, which talks about human being, 90% emotional elephant and 10% logical. And the other book is Ezra Klein, a book called why we Are Polarized and pointed out that we are polarized because human nature is fixated on power and control. And finally, dale Carnegie, how to Make Friends Influence Others, which shows that, at the end of the day, all of us are human beings. We need to respect each other. More important, what we want another person to be is can we respect and love the person as he or she is?

Speaker 2: 30:47

Yeah, those are good. What is the one advice that someone gave you? What are the best advice that someone gave you?

Speaker 1: 30:55

I think probably the best advice I've got from is from Jesus Christ, as a Christian myself, that when I was stuck in amniotic membrane research, I prayed, and Christ's advice, as I was reading the Bible, praying is James 1.4,. You know, perseverance completes you, perseverance completes you. And so I realized that, as human being, that life is not going to be easy and it's full of challenges. It's about loving life, going at it for you know full force and enjoy life to the fullest and see beyond ourselves. Our life is not just about ourselves. It's about perseverance. It's about helping those who need the most help, like blind, orphan children.

Speaker 2: 31:45

Yeah, is there anything I haven't asked you or anything you'd love to share with the listeners before we wrap up?

Speaker 1: 31:50

I would say the site is the film in the theater now in the number four week now. We're facing tremendous challenge. It's a first-generation Chinese-American immigrant film in American mainstream media. It's a film about freedom, faith and common ground, but sometimes we have not had enough people to see because it doesn't have violence, sex, drugs, sci-fi, cartoon. But yet it's a film with a message of freedom, faith and common ground that America needs the most. So my appeal to all of your audience is to go to see the film NGOcom forward slash Sidewise still in the theaters. We need your help to keep the film going in the theater, survive longer, so more Americans will have the opportunity to see sight, to have a new vision for our country.

Speaker 2: 32:43

Yeah, absolutely, and you also have a foundation as well. Do you want to touch on that just a little bit for the audience as well?

Speaker 1: 32:50

Yes, our Wine Foundation for Sight Restoration is committed, have been committed over 20-some years to help blind orphan children, helping blind orphan children from around the world, and Fiong's site is about some of those blind orphan child stories. So if you want to support and donate Foundation, you can write a check, pay a book to Wang Foundation and you can visit wangfoundationcom. W-a-n-g foundation no dot, no space dot com and there's a donate button, or you email me, drwang at wangvisioninstitutecom. D-r-w-a-n-g at wangvisioninstitutecom and we would love to have your support so we can help more blind orphan children. Even though medical costs are free for these kids, but we raise money to help their travel, education and lodging.

Speaker 2: 33:42

Amazing, you're one busy man. Is there any projects that you're working on currently that you're excited about, other than the film and everything you just mentioned?

Speaker 1: 33:51

Yes, most exciting projects use film as a tool to remind Americans that we live in a beautiful country. We have every reason to build up America and to restore America to its definition, which is our people willing to work together to solve the differences. And so I'm going to use the film site as a tool to speak around the country to share my story. It's basically like someone who used to be blind and share with all the folks here in America who are able to see how precious sight is Sight and with the film is a story of someone who used to have no freedom to share with all of us here in America, who always had freedom, how precious freedom is.

Speaker 2: 34:35

Thank you so much for your time, dr Wang. I really appreciate it. It's been an honor to have this conversation with you today. Thank you so much for your time, dr Wang. I really appreciate it. It's been an honor to have this conversation with you today, thank you. Thank you for listening to the Once we Dare podcast. It is an honor to share these encouraging stories with you. If you enjoy the show, I would love for you to tell your friends. Leave us a reviewer rating and subscribe to wherever you listen to podcasts, because this helps others discover the show. You can find me on my website, svetkapapacom.