Er Lye Kim, 85, was a newspaper seller. A few years after her husband passed away, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis and she stopped working.
Her son Tan Shew Sia, a father of three, quit his coffeeshop assistant job to care for her. He helped her with her daily needs including preparing meals, showering and accompanying her for medical appointments.
Due to her illness, Lye Kim lost her appetite. When she was admitted to St Luke’s Hospital, she weighed 28 kg. She did not have the strength to move from bed to wheelchair, much less walk.
With her dietitian’s help, Lye Kim’s appetite and food intake grew. Chocolate- and coffee-flavoured milk supplements, and functional food in the form of jelly, which has more calories, helped her eat better. Together with rehabilitation, Lye Kim gained weight and strength. She could stand and walk 50 m with little help.
Shew Sia, 57, said, ‘The therapists encouraged my mother to exercise for better health.’ When Lye Kim visited the hospital as an outpatient, nurses remembered her and ‘greeted and chatted with her and she was very happy.’
As a charity hospital, most of our patients are lower income. Your gift will help patients such as Er Lye Kim and her family face the future with strength and hope. Loving care from our award winning multi-disciplinary team comforts the sick, heals and helps them regain functional abilities. Patients have recovered, gone home to their families and even returned to work. Give at giving.sg/slh
Initially wheelchair-bound, Er Lye Kim (centre) could stand and walk with little assistance after care at St Luke’s Hospital. Her son Shew Sia quit his coffeeshop assistant job to care for her.
