Perumanyan Renganathan, our late beneficiary, led a fairly carefree life before his bout of chronic illnesses. During his off days working as a uniformed police offer, he would often go on holidays to India.
In 2016, he suffered a severe blood-clotting issue while on vacation in India and became immobile. He was urgently transported back to Singapore and confined for a grueling forty days or so, where he felt like he was going "haywire."
He has since been classified medically unfit to work, having been diagnosed with chronic illnesses ranging from kidney failure to liver, stomach, vision, and cardiovascular problems. He was over seventy years old, living in a one-room rental unit, divorced, and estranged from his daughter. The cost of his medical treatments has taken a financial toll. He is unable to leave the house without the assistance of friends.
He received our assistance in May 2019. He was able to get his dialyses, compression stockings, and he regularly serviced his CPAP breathing machine. Despite his difficulties, he remained cheerful, considering his life to be a good one.
Whenever he could, the late Mr. Perumanyan liked to spend whatever extra money he had saved on good food - a simple pleasure. He was a fan of traditional snacks such as chee cheong fun and hot tuna sandwiches from 7-11. He enjoyed rewarding friends who helped him with his medical appointments. He was grateful to the charities that had helped him, as well as the social workers, for the assistance that he had received.
Take your medicine properly, at the proper times. Go for your appointments regularly. Get good food and sleep. Don’t think yourself of…what is that…depression. People like us have depression a lot. They think ‘alamak. Why like that?’ I won’t do that. And when I’m bored, I turn on the TV. Or I walk down to the old hawker centre and have a chat with other old people there."
- The Late Mr Perumanyan Renganathan