Kopi and Kindness:
How her father’s passing motivated Lay Suan to Volunteer

Ms Ng Lay Suan’s father, the late Mr Ng Ah Cheng, was admitted to Dover Park Hospice in 2008 due to the terminal nature of his cancer. During his stay, the palliative care provided to her father left a lasting impression on her. As the team guided her through this trying time, she felt well-supported and realised how important palliative care was to families of cancer patients. With this, she made a promise to herself that she would contribute to Dover Park Hospice as a way to pay forward the kindness she received during one of the most vulnerable moments in her life.

After her father’s passing in 2008, it was a challenging time for her as she was in the middle of her own battle with cancer. She also decided to pour her focus into raising her child. Seven years passed, and she still held the promise she made at the back of her mind. In 2015, she finally joined Dover Park Hospice as a volunteer!

This year marks her ninth year with our volunteer programme. On some weekday mornings, Ms Ng can be found in our Day Care, helping to take kopi orders from patients joining our Lim Kopi sessions.

Engineer by trade – now enjoying her semi-retirement – she introduced a receipt label printing format to help automate the food and drink orders from the patients and staff.

In a Father’s Day interview with us, Ms Ng revealed that the day is a bittersweet time for her as it brings up fond memories spent with him. One such memory is that of their late-night suppers. Her father was a nightshift taxi driver and would often come back as late as 3am to have supper with the family. His mischievous side showed when he brought a durian to their beds to wake her and her siblings from sleep for a late-night durian feast!