Sutopo Purwo Nugroho is the busiest man in Indonesia. As the spokesman for the national disaster agency, he deals with an average of 2,300 emergencies a year. This year has been the busiest in more than a decade – with a string of deadly earthquakes, a tsunami and, last week, a plane crash.

But Sutopo is also battling his own personal disaster. Less than a year ago he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Now, riddled with pain, and 21 kilograms lighter after the latest bout of chemotherapy, he says the nation’s relentless stream of tragedies keeps his mind off his own struggle.

“When a disaster hits, sometimes I forget that I’m sick. I get an adrenaline rush and my spirit back,” he says from his office in Jakarta. “But when I’m not working and I’m just at home, I feel the pain.”

The 49-year-old, affectionately known as Topo, has been the voice of Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency for the past eight years, tirelessly providing critical information and updates in one of the most disaster-prone countries on earth.

It’s a job that rarely offers a break, thanks to an incessant flow of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides, and the odd tsunami.

This year is the most deadly on record since 2007. In the space of a few months the islands of Lombok and Bali were terrorised by a string of earthquakes that turned buildings to dust and killed more than 400 people.

Sutopo looks on at the national disaster mitigation agency. Photograph: Kate Lamb/The Guardian

Just as Indonesia appeared to be taking a breath, all hell was unleashed on Palu, in central Sulawesi, when a powerful quake and tsunami annihilated the coastline and parts of the city.

Authorities said the official death toll was more than 2,000, but the real toll is likely thousands more. Search and rescue operations were called off after a week, turning entire villages into mass graves.

Then last week a new Boeing jet plummeted full speed into the Java Sea minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 on board.

While the aviation tragedy did not fall under Sutopo’s domain – it wasn’t a natural disaster – he does agree the past few months have been particularly brutal..

“Disasters can happen anytime, from 1 January to 31 December,” he says, “Most disasters happen on Friday night or on the weekend. It’s weird!”

‘One of Indonesia’s heroes’

Long loved by journalists for his indefatigable passion for the job – such is his commitment that he has written press releases from his hospital bed, drip in hand – Sutopo is now something of a social media celebrity across the country.

These days, even his doctors and nurses ask for a selfie. “I’m not handsome,” he says with a laugh, “so I don’t know why everyone is asking me for a picture.”

A quick scroll through Sutopo’s Twitter account @Sutopo_PN, provides a glimpse of the man, a quirky mix of philosophy, poetry, romantic longing, myth-busting, health tips, jokes, trick photos, and serious updates about natural disasters.

“I joke a lot. If you see, the social media of other ministries and institutions is a bit boring,” he remarks. “I’m not like that.”

One photo shows him in the paws of a gorilla, another bending over to receive a needle from a nurse, or butting heads with a dinosaur (he celebrates the fact they are both balding).

Maksud hati melukis @raisa6690 apa daya jadinya Monalisa. Mengagumi seseorang itu karena ada yang istimewa. Tak bisa dipaksa. Apalagi direkayasa. Selalu didamba agar hidup lebih bermakna untuk kebaikan sesama. @raisa @jokowi @afgansyah_reza @SBYudhoyono @isyanasarasvati pic.twitter.com/okPyDqPXuL — Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 15, 2018

In other posts he pines over the famous Indonesian singer Raisa Andriana, promotes dramatic pre-wedding pictures in front of volcanoes (at a safe distance) and more recently talks about his battle with lung cancer.

On and offline Indonesians are enamoured. Such is the public’s love for Sutopo that after he first posted about Raisa, a campaign to secure a meeting between them was launched on social media under the hashtag #RaisaMeetSutopo, which resulted in the pair meeting this week. At his office Sutopo’s desk is covered with packages of traditional medicine and tinctures sent to him from strangers all over the country.

And Twitter is full of people tweeting thanks and encouragement to Sutopo. “So cool, one of Indonesia’s heroes, thumbs up for you, sir,” wrote one user.

“I love you man. You really are showing us an example of what to be in our lives. Godspeed Pak Sutopo,” wrote another.

Meski hidup saya dalam marabahaya, saya tetap berusaha memberikan informasi bencana kepada media dan masyarakat. Begitu banyak media dan masyarakat yang sayang kepada saya. Sebaliknya saya pun selalu sayang dan mencintai rekan-rekan media dan masyarakat. Hidup harus bermakna. pic.twitter.com/JRTgBfJqyB — Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 14, 2018

Even the disaster agency building has Sutopo’s touch. Inside it is something of a museum, an informative homage to Indonesia’s worst disasters, complete with dioramas and interactive maps and charts, an entire motorbike caked in mud. Some signs are deliberately askew for effect, to show what happens in an earthquake.

There are also disaster sets, which allow people to pose for photos, which, when taken from the right angle (a sticker on the floor tells you where) makes it appear as if they are present at the earthquake, landslide and volcano.

While some corners of the building may resemble a natural disaster theme park, the intention is to educate the many school children who visit the building.

“I got this all made when we moved buildings a few years,” says Sutopo, as he poses in the earthquake scene, mock-rescuing a victim. “At first the staff were against it but now they love it.”

Sutopo is also known to joke with his staff and offer them life advice including: “On a flight hide your watch and ask someone the time, it’s a good way to make friends.”

Sesungguhnya saya menahan dan melawan rasa sakit. Kanker menyakitkan. Tapi saya harus tampil tegar untuk terus memberikan informasi penanganan bencana kepada media dan masyarakat. Bayangin suntiknya besarnya kayak gitu. Ampun deh! pic.twitter.com/A12NvdnYFx — Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 8, 2018

‘I want to try to do good, to be useful’

Born in Boyolali, central Java, Sutopo says he grew up poor. He studied hard to impress his parents – his father was a schoolteacher – but it was by accident that he studied geography. His first choice was medicine. Geography, he notes, was a last-minute choice after a friend joked it was easy to get into.

He never looked back, eventually obtaining a PhD in carbon flux and climate change.

After seven years on a rain-making unit he was picked for the demanding spokesperson role at the disaster mitigation agency in 2010.

When he first learned he had stage 4B lung cancer – a diagnosis that indicates the cancer has spread to several areas in one or more organs – Sutopo says he thought about quitting, but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Even as he becomes physically weaker and unable to travel, Sutopo says he sees the job as a responsibility.

“Life isn’t determined by how long we live, but how useful we are to other people. That’s what I do. Although the doctors say that I don’t have so much time left, in my last days, I want to try to do good, to be useful. That’s so much better than having a long life but making people miserable!”