'My heart is so much fuller': 20-year-old shares why she volunteers with Assisi Hospice
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University student Phoebe Wee has come to terms with the inevitability of death through volunteering at Assisi Hospice over the past four years. The 20-year-old has seen a fair share of deaths — many of the patients at the hospice's day care centre hav'My heart is so much fuller': 20-year-old shares why she volunteers with Assisi Hospice
University student Phoebe Wee has come to terms with the inevitability of death through volunteering at Assisi Hospice over the past four years. The 20-year-old has seen a fair share of deaths — many of the patients at the hospice's day care centre have a prognosis of one year or less. «It really never gets easier,» Wee said in an interview with AsiaOne. «It still hits me hard when I hear that a patient has left.» Among those patients was Patrick Perera, who died in July 2023. Wee remembered him as a «cheerful guy» who charmed everyone in the hospice with his singing. The hospice volunteer also bonded with his wife Manelle, 83, through their mutual love of handicraft. «Both of them were in the hospice together,» Wee said about the couple who were married for over 50 years. «You could see the love and respect they had for each other. It was a joy to be around them.» As his health declined, Wee visited him several times in the hospital, and also checked in on his wife regularly to «make sure she was okay». «I think it meant a lot to her,» said the volunteer. Read more