SINGAPORE — Every Friday, Mr Tony Ng, who lives near St Luke’s Hospital in Bukit Batok, would enter the hospital grounds with a bag of craft materials on his motorised wheelchair.

The 53-year-old, who suffers from diabetes and had his right leg amputated last year, then begins work to make handicrafts or fold coloured paper to make origami before giving them to patients. Other times, he may be training volunteers.

When TODAY visited the community hospital last week, Mr Ng and his friends were busy sculpting National Day-themed red-and-white balloons to bring cheer to the patients and their caregivers.

He said in a mix of English and Mandarin: “I might be disabled but I am not a ‘fei ren’ (‘useless person’ in Chinese).

“So many people have helped me. Now, I want to help them. It’s better than wasting my time sitting around at home.”

Mr Ng, who is unemployed, is a patient-turned-volunteer at St Luke’s Hospital.

Under this programme, former patients may volunteer their time and services to support and help inpatients, many of whom have lost limbs or have physical impairments. 

More than 50 former patients, including their caregivers, have joined the programme since it started in 2016.

They are matched to the volunteer work based on their work experiences and areas of interest.

For example, they may do administrative work such as data entry or laminate documents; help out with operations such as fold plastic bags used in the wards or pack cutlery; or provide patient-care support, which may include befriending patients and measuring the blood pressure of outpatients.

Volunteers with special skills may also be assigned to do specialised tasks, such as playing musical instruments or doing handicraft work. For Mr Ng, he volunteered to sculpt balloons and make origami after he was discharged.

He had stayed in the hospital for more than a month after his lower right leg was amputated due to diabetes-related complications.

It was the bleakest time of his life, he recalled.

“In front of people, I pretended to be fine and happy. In reality, I would cry secretly. I felt like I was a burden to my family.” 

Mr Ng’s wife, 56, who has polio, works three times a week as a newspaper vendor, earning around S$20 a day.

His daughter, their only child, takes home around S$2,000 monthly as a nurse. She spends a huge chunk of her salary juggling the household expenses and utility bills.

She is supportive of her father’s volunteer work and sometimes help him with his projects.

Describing her as a caring person who knew she wanted to be a nurse since she was in secondary school, Mr Ng said: “My heart aches for my daughter who has been spending so much ever since I stopped working… but I have to live each day as it comes.” 

DIABETES AT AGE 28

Mr Ng was just 28 years old when he was diagnosed with diabetes. The condition runs in his family, and many of his relatives also developed it at a young age, he said.

Over the years, he had trouble keeping his chronic illness under control. He said an unhealthy diet and love for sweet drinks were partly to blame for his poorly managed condition.

Mr Ng used to be a home appliances promoter for 16 years but had to stop work because of his poor health and he could not stand for long hours.

In 2017, his foot turned gangrenous and he was advised to undergo limb amputation. 

Against his doctors’ advice, Mr Ng, who was the primary breadwinner in his family then, decided to put off the surgery for a year.

He did not want to affect his daughter’s studies at the time, thinking she would have to care for him and spend time travelling to the hospital after school when she should be focusing on her final-year studies at the polytechnic.

He underwent the surgery after his daughter, now 22, completed her diploma studies in nursing.

By then, the gangrene had spread from his foot to his leg, and pus was oozing out of his wounds, which could not heal.

Already struggling to cope with the loss of income, Mr Ng felt more dejected when he had to adapt to the loss of independence after he lost part of his leg.

He had trouble managing simple everyday activities, such as showering.

“I wanted to be independent and tried to use the toilet and shower myself, but ended up falling many times and hitting my stump. I would stand up, forgetting that my leg is no longer there,” he said.

FOLDING PAPER FLOWERS NON-STOP

What saved him from sinking further into depression was working on origami during his recovery period. It gave him a sense of peace and purpose.

As a child, he did not like studying but loved doing art and craft. In his youth, he was an executive member at a community centre and would volunteer to decorate stages for community events. 

“I started folding paper flowers a day after the operation. I would do it from 6am to evening, non-stop. It helped me forget my misery and sadness.”

The self-taught origami artist, who came up with his unique methods of folding paper flowers, was even more motivated when he gave his handicrafts to the hospital’s staff members and patients, and saw how their faces lit up.

Mr Ng went on to decorate the entire ward where he was with origami flowers and trees.

When he ran out of craft materials, the patients’ families and nurses would help him get more materials, out of their own pockets. The acts of kindness touched him.

Mr Ng is grateful to the medical staff members for directing him to support services at a time when he was struggling financially.

Due to his limited family income and savings, Mr Ng gets assistance from St Luke’s Hospital’s patient welfare fund for his ambulance transport services. He received the maximum subsidy for his hospital stay at St Luke’s.

Singapore citizens eligible for government-funded intermediate and long-term care services may receive up to 75 per cent subsidy to offset their bill. A household means test is used to determine the amount of subsidies each patient is entitled to receive.

Following his discharge, an occupational therapist and medical social worker visited Mr Ng’s flat to help him enhance safety at home. The hospital also procured and provided him with a ramp-like structure and shower chair. 

To add value to his volunteer work, Mr Ng took up balloon sculpting courses with his friends, who he said have been very supportive. He has also roped in friends and neighbours to help out at the hospital.

There are plans for him to conduct handicraft classes for the hospital’s patients. 

BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING

Therapists from St Luke’s Hospital’s Rehabilitation Services Division said that the patient-turned-volunteer programme benefits both volunteers and patients.

For individuals with residual impairment from debilitating conditions, such as stroke, the programme is a way to help them regain confidence and a sense of purpose.

Senior physiotherapist Stephen Vincely Premkumar said that even after patients are discharged from the hospital or have completed their rehabilitation, it will benefit them to be engaged in continuous activity.

Senior occupational therapist Nor Azilah Pami said: “When (former patients) volunteer, they motivate, encourage and assist others. Some volunteers reported that they did not know they could still be useful to society, until they started volunteering and saw what they could do.

“Patients may become encouraged when they see the volunteer — who may have the same condition as them — progress beyond sickness to become a volunteer.”

Typically, therapists or staff members identify suitable patients and refer them to the volunteer coordinator.

Where necessary, training is provided at no cost. Depending on their work scope, the therapists usually provide the training while the volunteer coordinator will brief them on the do’s and don’ts when interacting with patients.

The volunteers go through an orientation to familiarise themselves with the patients they will be working with, such as those with dementia or on palliative care.

When he is not spending time at the hospital doing his volunteer work, Mr Ng tries to find work to supplement his family’s income. 

He hopes to get a job at a flower shop and learn more about floral arrangements, but he is realistic about his chances of getting full-time employment.

In the meantime, he has applied for a licence to move around in his wheelchair, selling his handmade crafts

He said that he is managing his diabetes better now although it can still be improved. Besides taking medication and having insulin injections daily, he undergoes twice-weekly physiotherapy. His daughter has also been controlling his diet and food portions.

Encouraging people with disabilities to look beyond their physical impairment, Mr Ng said: “Don’t just think about your misery and sadness. If you feel like you can contribute, become a volunteer to help others.”