My Journey of Help and Hope
“As a caregiver, I had to remind myself that I needed to be stronger, I could not show my weaker side to her, or both of us would crumble.”
When my two sisters were admitted to Dover Park Hospice, the world I knew shifted beneath my feet. They passed away two months apart. I was not just a sister to them, I was their caregiver, facing challenges I had never imagined. My older sister’s cancer treatments had stopped working. Our fragile world of hope for recovery was shattered, leaving us to face a new, uncertain chapter. It was hard, physically, emotionally and mentally. Some days I felt lost, unsure if I was doing enough or if I had the will and courage to keep going. I had to remind myself I needed to be stronger, I could not show my weaker side to her, I could not let us crumble.
Dover Park Hospice became my quiet refuge. With the help of its caregiver support group, I found understanding and comfort in shared stories. I was not alone. Others had experienced my fears and hopes. They helped me rediscover space to breathe, to honour my sisters, and to cherish the joy and enduring love that remains. They held us up and gave me a strength I never knew I had. There, I was allowed to grieve, to breathe and to feel.
“I have been on both sides. Now I want to be the person I once needed, someone who simply understands.”
After my older sister passed, a part of me felt adrift. The days felt quiet but I was comforted by remembering the kindness we received, the gentleness in the way my two sisters were treated, and the quiet strength offered to me as her caregiver.
In those final weeks with my younger sister, there was a warmth at Dover Park Hospice that wrapped around both of us and it stayed with me long after I walked out the doors for the last time.
I knew I had to return because I understood, deeply, what it meant to be held during the hardest moments. So I came back as a volunteer, as a small light for someone else navigating their own loss or caregiving journey. I help wherever I can, distributing snacks and bringing warmth to inpatients and their caregivers in the wards.
Now, I walk the same halls with a different purpose. Each time I step into the hospice, I carry my sisters’ memory with me. In serving others, I have found a quiet way to keep them close. What was once a place of endings has become for me, a space where love, once received, can be given forward.
Mdm Florence Chuah is a caregiver of her late sisters who were cared for at Dover Park Hospice and a volunteer