Awards for 2 volunteers who mentored others despite own setbacks

Ms Usha Rani, 56, started having severe migraines when she was 16. In 2003, they got so bad that she was debilitated by them. She had difficulty forming sentences and remembering things.

Doctors diagnosed a brain haemorrhage.

Eleven years and three brain operations later, in 2014, she faced another life-threatening challenge - a pre-cancerous condition in which abnormal cells were found on the surface of her cervix.

She opted for a hysterectomy and had her womb removed.

Even as the teacher at Blangah Rise Primary School was grappling with her personal challenges, she remained an avid volunteer with Beautiful People SG, whose Free for Good programme allowed her to mentor female prisoners aged between 20 and 50.

Under the programme, a volunteer would build a relationship with a prisoner six months before her release to support her reintegration into society.

Ms Usha said: "I love teaching because I believe that with every child I help, I can change one generation. I tell them you can't change where you started, but you can decide where you want to move."

On being a volunteer, she said: "I'm a very positive person because there's so much negativity in this world. So the little things I can do, you know, one smile makes two. If I can make one person smile, I know I've done something good."

She was one of 27 winners at the annual Singapore Health Inspirational Patient and Caregiver Awards (IPCA) yesterday. She won the Partner-In-Care Award, which recognised her active partnership with healthcare teams to help improve the care quality and experience of others.

The event honoured 72 inspiring patients, caregivers and patient support groups for their resilience in the face of health challenges, especially during the pandemic.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Health as well as the Ministry of Communications and Information, said in her opening address at the event that while Covid-19 had been challenging, it had also enabled the strength and tenacity of many Singaporeans to shine through.

She said: "For those of us in the healthcare profession, these awardees motivate us to do better, so that we can make a bigger difference to the lives of our patients and our loved ones."

In her address, SingHealth Group CEO Ivy Ng said: "Your courage, fortitude and ability to triumph despite many challenges are an inspiration and encouragement to all of us."

Another person honoured yesterday was Mr Effendy Idris, 46. The father of three children, aged 18, 17 and 14, learnt in 2006 that he had heart disease and had an implant-able cardioverter-defibrillator fitted, which saved his life twice.

Mr Effendy was forced to leave his job in the shipping industry for health reasons, which led to depression. But he pulled through and returned to do work as a volunteer in 2019.

He joined CampusImpact where he mentored youngsters from lower-income and disadvantaged families. He also served on the executive committee of the LVAD Patient Support Group at National Heart Centre Singapore from 2017 to 2018, where he helped organise activities for patients.

He said: "I realised no man is an island. Allowing others to help us is not a sign of weakness."