Dr Rachel Lu
Family Physician
"Palliative care is a philosophy of holistic, compassionate, excellent care"
I’m Dr Rachel, a family physician specialising in palliative care at St Luke’s Hospital. Growing up as the daughter of a family physician, I spent most of my childhood in my mother’s clinic, developing an early appreciation for healthcare. However, it was my father’s five-year journey with a terminal illness that ultimately drew me to palliative care.
After completing my residency in family medicine, I initially thought I’d focus on geriatric rehabilitative care at St Luke’s Hospital but after witnessing how physicians and nurses cared for my father at the end of his life redirected my path toward palliative care.
Palliative care is often misunderstood. At its heart, it’s not just a specialty but a philosophy of care that recognises healthcare is provided to a suffering person, not just a body. This person has complex relationships—with themselves, with others, with their environment, and with the transcendent—all of which affect their experience of illness and end-of-life care.
Providing compassionate care while maintaining balance requires constant attention to my own wellbeing. I’ve learned to be sensitive to my emotional state – when I’m feeling irritable, jaded, or overwhelmed, I recognise these as signals to pause and process. Like tending a garden, I must care for my own heart if I expect it to bear fruit.
One patient particularly shaped my practice. She had been non-verbal and bed-bound for a decade following a stroke. Her loving children were going over every detail of her care—how many meals to provide, what fluids to administer, which veins to try for cannulation. After hours of discussion going nowhere, I asked them a simple question: “What do you think mom feels right now? What would she want for all of you, being the loving mother you’ve described?”
The room fell silent, tears flowed, and they began to share memories of their mother. They realised they had been so focused on avoiding guilt that they’d forgotten to consider what their mother was going through. They decided to stop interventions and said their goodbyes. The patient passed peacefully that night after they had returned home from dinner together—as if waiting for their permission to go.
What sustains me? The relational aspect of care. Behind the scrubs and hospital gowns, we’re all human beings. My care philosophy centers on tending to my own heart first, because I cannot give what I do not have. By maintaining my own balance, I can bring steady presence to the emotional complexities of palliative care.
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