As the sun set on another Wednesday night, the team from the ambulance wish service gathered outside Assisi Hospice, preparing to meet Mr. Choy Kem Wah and his family. We were warmly welcomed by the Choy family and sat around the common area in Assisi, intently listening to his backstory and wishes. What had initially seemed to be a trip to the zoo quickly morphed into a yacht ride, as Mr. Choy’s eyes lit up upon hearing that we had brought people out to sea before? As it turns out, Mr. Choy had always wanted to go on a yacht ride with his family, having had the chance to experience it before his brother’s birthday party a few years prior.
Upon learning this, our volunteers wasted no time and lept into action, communicating with yacht companies and procuring some of the Choy family’s favourite food and snacks. With luck, we managed to secure a slot on a Sunday evening for a sunset yacht ride and the green light from his doctors to take him out to sea. Now, all we needed was good weather.
On Wish Day, the weather appeared to be holding up despite being slightly overcast. I then thought to myself: “It already rained twice today, it wouldn’t rain a third time now, would it?” Thankfully, it didn’t. With the help of an accompanying nurse from Caring Hearts Nursing and Medical Assistance 4U’s hydraulic van, Mr. Choy and his family arrived at the Yacht club with all smiles. We then helped Mr. Choy to the front of the yacht to enjoy the sunset in full view, accompanied by some pizza, fish soup and his favourite, Coca-Cola as one of our volunteers, Sher Maine played a carefully curated list of songs on her violin. Mr. Choy was all smiles throughout the trip, constantly taking photos of Singapore and the sea, even explaining the various engines and ships around the sea. This was no surprise, given that he had previously served as a lifeguard in his youth. As we passed by Lazarus island, Mr. Choy recounted the times when he would test drive the new BMW sports utility vehicles on Lazarus’s off-road terrain and how he enjoyed driving fast. As our trip together came to an end, Mr. Choy mustered up the strength to move from his chair to the yacht, as we took some photos for him and his family to remember these good times.
All these things would not have been possible without the help and support of our generous sponsors @Ximula sail, the crew Minqi and Victor, and the nursing and transportation staff who ensured the event went smoothly.
The team of volunteers, Suyi, Carol, Brendon, Sher Maine and I are honoured to have played a part in fulfilling Mr. Choy’s wish. This journey has been meaningful and adds a new layer of meaning to the core of our work – fulfilling wishes, celebrating lives.
