Stephen and Ezhili
Miles Yungon behalf of his friends from the ‘Wednesday Exchange Group’
It was coming up to Christmas last year (2017), and my friends and I were out celebrating. We were talking about our ‘ups and downs’ throughout the year when I suddenly remembered the stories of hardships my wife had encountered when she was volunteering with migrant workers. I shared some of these stories with my friends and we decided that we wanted and needed to do something to help those who are less fortunate than us.
Most of us in the group are fathers with young children. When we hear about other children who are facing difficulties, we really feel for them. For this reason, we all agreed that we should support a children’s charity and while searching for a suitable one, I came across the KKH Health Fund run by KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).
While I know there are many organisations that champion children’s causes, reading about KKH’s young patients really highlighted the scale of the challenges that they face. For their parents, I cannot imagine how difficult it must be having to confront their darkest fears when their children battle cancer or deal with the stress of having to care for a child with a serious chronic disease round the clock while juggling work and other commitments. Unfortunately, for many of these families, having to constantly worry about whether they can afford the treatment and medicine is a reality and an additional burden.
I hope that our Christmas donation will help relieve some of these financial pressures faced by families in need. This contribution is just the start of a deeper commitment to do more to raise funds for KKH’s young patients. It is our hope that despite their initial difficulties, they can build happy memories and work towards fulfilling their dreams.
Emmerie
I tagged on a medical mission trip to Batam a few years back where we performed health screening for the local community. It opened my eyes to the number of people in need of medical help suffering with a certain disease but who aren’t able to afford even basic treatment. I was later involved in another research project which required me to perform home visits in Singapore. As my visits were frequent, over a period of time, I was able to bond with my participants and listen when they shared their personal stories and struggles. I realised I didn’t have to go to another country to look for people who were in need of help. It is happening right here, right now and it is difficult to ignore.
To me, giving is a privilege. If I’m able to contribute in improving the quality of someone’s life with the resources I have, I will, because I imagine the positive difference that makes in that person’s life. I choose to give to the KKH Health Fund because the Fund has done a great job in caring for patients in need. Their initiatives have been impactful and life changing for the patients and it is something I want to be part of.
Janet Lim
Dr Caroline Low-Heah
Dr Caroline Low-Heah is the founding chairperson of the Kidz Horizon Appeal (KHA), a charitable organisation that raises funds for the KKH Health Fund to ease the financial burden of and support the most vulnerable in our society – needy children who have been struck by illness and who are in need of financial support to help them on their journey of recovery. The Appeal’s unfaltering support has raised more than $10 million for the medical treatment of more than 1,000 sick children and is continuing their good work to help many more in need.
Read about why Dr Low-Heah started the fundraiser and what keeps her going.
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