Ms Lim Meng Joke, 68 years old, was born with congenital heart disease. She was diagnosed with end-stage heart failure in June 2024 where her condition could deteriorate anytime. Ms Meng Joke was referred to Dover Park Hospice Home Care service to be cared for at home.
Her monthly art therapy sessions at home with our art therapist are times when she can express herself and connect with others. Unable to hear or speak since birth, Ms Meng Joke expresses warmth and strength through her presence and her art. Ms Meng Joke, at the age of 10 with no formal training in art, picked up a set of coloured pencils and sketched a dragon in great detail on a blank wooden door panel at a construction site where her parents had a food stall.
Since beginning art therapy, Ms Meng Joke’s works have embraced gentler strokes and brighter colours. Her drawings have evolved from powerful dragons, phoenixes and wild creatures to more tender subjects such as kittens and birds, reflecting a softer and more introspective side of her spirit.
During one of the Home Care team’s visits, Madam Goh expressed a wish for her daughter’s talent to be recognised. In November 2025, Dover Park Hospice set up a month-long exhibition at Toa Payoh Public Library titled “Scales and Feathers – Quiet Strength Through Gentle Strokes”, bringing her art to her neighbourhood and the community. Ms Meng Joke, her family and friends beamed with pride as they saw her works on display. Each piece stands as a quiet testament to grace, love and resistance against the odds.
Quiet Strength Through Gentle Strokes – A Home Palliative Care Patient’s Artistic Journey
