April 2009, Tzu Chi volunteers visited Uncle Heng to clean and tidy up his house. As the house was rather small, the volunteers had to move the senior out first. Picture shows them chatting with Uncle while he takes a rest. (Photo by Law Sook Fong)
“Be it meeting our new volunteers or those whom he is familiar with, Uncle Heng always greets everyone with a big smile on his face. He always ensures everyone has something to drink before we are seated. Whenever he received a government bonus, he would generously donate part of it to Tzu Chi.”
Sister Juliana Koo, the staff at Redhill Tzu Chi Free Clinic, remembers Uncle Heng as a generous and amiable senior. She still remembers the very first time when Uncle Heng gave her a token sum of appreciation in the form of a red packet that she asked him, “Uncle Heng, how about donating this money to Tzu Chi to spread your love to the needy?”
Smiling without replying, the senior simply nodded emphatically. Soon after, each time before Tzu Chi volunteers leave after visiting him, he would take out his wallet and hand them the donation money he had set aside beforehand.
Due to diabetes and heart disease, Uncle Heng had been hospitalized every now and then since 2003. The long term medical bills and living expenditures soon depleted his life savings. To survive, he relied on social benefits from the government, which provided him with S$400 every month. After being referred to Tzu Chi by the hospital's medical social worker, Uncle Heng started to benefit from the dialysis scheme offered by Tzu Chi Singapore where he receives subsidies for his dialysis treatment.
After being on the scheme for three months, he was successfully transferred to the subsidy scheme under the National Kidney Foundation. Aware of Uncle Heng’s walking difficulties and reliance on ambulance to attend dialysis sessions, Tzu Chi Singapore chipped in to pay for his transportation costs.
Having received much assistance from the volunteers from cleaning and tidying his house to registering him with hospital for his medical appointments, as well as teaching him how to use remote controllers and taking care of him in all aspects, Uncle Heng was deeply touched by the heartfelt company of the Tzu Chi volunteers.
In 2009, after one home visit, the childless Uncle Heng called the volunteers and requested that Tzu Chi take charge of his funeral arrangement upon his death. In April of the same year, under the witness of the medical social worker and the hospital's nursing coordinator, Uncle Heng completed the legal procedures to entrust Tzu Chi Singapore with his funeral arrangement.
Sometime in May this year, Uncle Heng started to complain that he could not sleep well and did not feel well. In late July, after alerts by the medical social worker, Tzu Chi volunteers rushed to the hospital to visit Uncle Heng who had by then been hospitalized for three weeks. In mid-August, Uncle Heng fell from his bed and when volunteers later visited him on 16 Aug, the senior was in a delirium and could not communicate well.
Fortunately, his conditions improved when the volunteers visited him again on 20 Aug whereby they accompanied him to the food court to have noodles and his favourite dessert – ice cream.
What was taken as a sound recovery quickly took a turn for the worse. When the volunteers received news about Uncle Heng again, he had passed away peacefully in the morning of 5 Sept at 10.35am at the age of 76.
The Foundation's social work officer quickly mobilized volunteers to get ready his funeral costume and complete the necessary administrative procedures before taking his body to the funeral parlour. The volunteers also conducted a chanting session in the afternoon on the same day. The next day, the volunteers formed the funeral procession to send Uncle Heng off to the crematorium. The day after his cremation, after collecting the ashes, the volunteers conducted a sea burial ceremony for the late senior.
Brother Ang Leck Kang, who followed through the funeral of Uncle Heng, said he has gained much insight into the question of life and death in the process. He realized that nothing is permanent – there is nothing to dwell on, and one has to learn to let go graciously at life's end.
He added that although the ritual was simple, Uncle Heng was treated with respect where more than 20 volunteers accompanied his body to the crematorium; some of them even put their hands at the back of the hearse as a gesture of closeness to the late senior (in Chinese tradition, usually it is the eldest son and family members following behind with their heads touching the hearse).
Sister Susi, who was responsible for coordinating the funeral, recalled, “I remember when we visited Uncle at his home in 2009, he told us he wanted to have a Buddhist funeral when his time comes. He also wished to have chanting sessions and a sea burial. We have indeed fulfilled his last wishes now.”
Although the volunteers have fulfilled Uncle Heng’s last wishes, they still had some regrets as there is still a set of dentures meant for Uncle Heng left at the Tzu Chi Free Clinic.
A few months ago, the home visit volunteers had requested the Free Clinic to make the set of dentures for the late senior as he had been having difficulty eating properly and had to consume food that is cooked till softens, which was detrimental to his health.
After a few rounds of reworking, the volunteers had wanted to present the dentures to Uncle Heng the next time he showed up for his dental checkup. Little did they know Uncle Heng would pass away before they could.
We like to think that Uncle Heng has been relieved of his suffering from illnesses, and we sincerely wish that he will return to this world as a little bodhisattva with a mouthful of new and beautiful teeth, and as amiable and generous as ever.
In March, 2009, Uncle Heng expressed his wish to have Tzu Chi arrange for his funeral after he passed away, as witnessed by his third sister. Sister Susi promised to grant him his wish and urged him to take it in his stride when death came, almost moving Uncle Heng to tears. (Photo by Law Sook Fong)
Growing frail day by day, Uncle Heng could no longer clean his house on his own, and the house became dirty. Tzu Chi volunteers worked together to clean every corner of the house to ensure a comfortable and clean environment for Uncle Heng to live in. (Photo by Law Sook Fong)
On 5 Sept 2011, the ailing Uncle Heng passed away peacefully in hospital. Sister Juliana Koo (pictured) followed through his funeral and wished him a peaceful departure from this world.(Photo by Ng Paik Eng)
When sorting out personal belongings left behind by Uncle Heng, Tzu Chi volunteers found a photo of Tzu Chi's founder, Master Cheng Yen, in his wallet. Reminiscing how Uncle Heng used to be part of the family, Tzu Chi volunteers regret that the new set of dentures from Tzu Chi free clinic will never be used. (Photo by Ng Paik Eng)
Tzu Chi volunteers chanted during Uncle Heng's funeral to wish him a peaceful departure. (Photo by Ng Paik Eng)
Volunteers accompanying Uncle Heng in the funeral procession to the crematorium. (Photo by Qiu Yan Yu)
Volunteers chanted the Buddha's name as the coffin was transported slowly into the incinerator. (Photo by Qiu Yan Yu)
The next day after the cremation, Tzu Chi volunteers fulfilled Uncle Heng’s last wish by carrying out his burial at sea. (Photo by Yan Su Yuan)
The next day after the cremation, Tzu Chi volunteers fulfilled Uncle Heng’s last wish by carrying out his burial at sea. (Photo by Yan Su Yuan)
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