Life had not been easy for Mr Loong. With only a few years of primary education, he started working at the age of 14, taking on various odd jobs including peddling ice-cream on the street and construction work. The work was hard but he was glad to have a stable source of income. Alone for most of his life, Mr Loong met his wife at the age of 40 and she became his only kin. When she suffered a massive stroke and passed away 10 years later, he found himself on his own again. He ploughed on, choosing to stay in rental flats to keep expenses low and only stopped working when he could not do so anymore.
Terminally-ill and alone, Mr Loong was admitted to Assisi Hospice in May 2015. Our doctors and nurses cared for him and helped to ease his symptoms and pain. Knowing that he did not have any family support, the Medical Social Workers and volunteers rallied around him, building a close bond over time. Every day, Mr Loong would work with the therapist to regain some mobility in his legs in the hope that he could head out for some hawker fare. When the staff and volunteers learnt about this, they organised a simple get-together and went to great lengths to find his favourite hawker dishes, including a rare carrot cake dish!
When Mr Loong passed away peacefully on 28 August 2015, he was not alone. Assisi Hospice is privileged to be his last home and to be able to care for him.
