Easing The Journey Into The Last Sunset

Out there somewhere, some people will never live to see another sunrise again. At the same time, some are counting down to their last sunset. Those are one of the most agonizing times anyone can ever go through for those that are terminally ill and their family as well. Like Paul, I could never have imagined how depressing it was to see a loved one slowly wasting away until I had to look after Mum.

She suffered chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, an incurable blood disorder where her body produced large quantities of malformed white blood cells. During her last two months, she was in much pain when the cancer cells began to invade her bones too. When I saw her writhing in pain, I wished I could ease some of that by suffering it on her behalf. Painkillers were not totally effective. The ache began to set in long before the next dose was due. The sense of hopelessness was simply distressing.

Fortunately, Mum had the privilege to be enrolled under the Penang Hospice-At-Home-Programme. Karen, the nurse charged with Mum’s case, would drop in to check on her several times a week. It was a great relief to know that should I need nursing and medical advice, I could always check with her. The most important aspect of this was that Mum was accorded the dignity to live out the remaining days of her life in the comfort of home while getting the essential care that she needed. I was truly grateful I had this kind of support in looking after Mum. It would have been very difficult had I had to go through it alone.

When Suanie asked for my suggestion on the charity to support for Blogathon 2005, the first and only organisation that came to mind was the Hospice-At-Home-Programme. No act can be nobler than easing the final journey of the terminally ill cancer patient like what this group of people are doing. After all that I went through with Mum, I wholeheartedly embrace and support this concept of caring. I hope all of you who are reading this will feel the same way. This organisation functions mostly on donations from the public. They need your support to continue with what they are doing effectively. Please pledge and donate generously so that someone somewhere waiting for his last sunset will have an easier passage to his final destination.

* This entry was posted at Bloggers are Morons.

Bloggers With A Cause

Within us, there is a potential to make things better for ourselves and for others. All that is needed is a paradigm shift from thinking inwards to thinking outwards. The beauty of thinking outwards is that little effort is required. To achieve that each of us need only to genuinely care for our fellow humans, be it for their well-being or by offering just our friendship.

This coming August 6, bloggers from around the globe will be blogging simultaneously for 24 hours straight. We bloggers have been known to do weird things but this time it is all for a good cause. This is all made possible by the wonderful people at Blogathon 2005. We will be blogging for charities of our choice. In doing so, we hope we may be able to make a little difference for people who need it most.

Edrei participated in the blogathon last year. He will be doing it again this year and has selected the National Cancer Society of Malaysia. Yvonne Foong will be blogging for Eden Handicap Service Centre. Leo Goh’s charity of choice for this event is UNICEF. I have pledged RM50 each for the respective organisations they have selected. Ee Yean, a blogger from Penang, has chosen to do this for the National Kidney Foundation.

On my part, I have become a reluctant participant in this praiseworthy project. There is no way I can write an entry every thirty minutes for 24 hours. Suanie roped me in as a co-blogger for a new blog that she set up especially for Blogathon 2005. Together with Shaolin Tiger, Minishorts, Paul Tan and Kenny Sia, we will be blogging at bloggersaremorons.com. We will be blogging for the Penang Hospice-At-Home Programme.

Individually, we can only contribute so much to these charities. By coming together and contributing our time and effort, we hope to be able to draw the attention of many more people to these charities and hopefully be able to get them to contribute generously. The non-profit charitable organisations that we have selected have transformed the lives of many for the better. My sincere wish is that all you who have been reading my blog will donate and change even more lives. For details on how to donate, please read this.