Contribution Name: Lions Befrienders
Pseudonym: June
Year of Author: 1949
Soldiers are not only those who are seen fighting in wars. Meet our soldier, a 75-year-old brave LB Senior named Ong Hoo June, affectionately known as “June,” a member of LB AAC @ Mei Ling 150. She fought against two major ordeals in her 70s without support from her close kin, having been widowed four years ago without children and living alone. At the age of 71, she survived bypass heart surgery, and a year later, she battled breast cancer and underwent breast surgery.
During her cancer treatment, in 2020, the situation became even more challenging as the surgery coincided with the Chinese New Year period, when no visitors were allowed due to the Covid pandemic. To make things worse, another unexpected health condition arose – her eyesight had deteriorated.
Considering the hardships June faced in her senior years, anyone would be depressed. However, June soldiered through the long journey of illness without succumbing to despair. She shared, “I am not afraid of the future or worried. I have learned to take things one day at a time.” This attitude enabled her to face life’s hurdles, including the possibility of death, with strength and hope. She added that joining LB AAC’s activities brightened her mood and helped her develop a positive character, qualities that carried her through these challenges.
June has been volunteering with LB for approximately 28 years, making her one of the pioneer volunteers of the organisation. Little more than a year ago, she merged her two greatest loves – volunteering and sewing patchwork blankets – by dedicating her time to sew these blankets, with all sales proceeds going toward the centre’s activities.
Each hand-made patchwork quilt, symbolizing family and warmth, took several days to complete, and she has since produced about 30 of them.
Her passion for serving seniors is evident as she sits in the centre almost every day, from morning to late afternoon, working on the patchwork quilts.
“Instead of thinking about ‘when will I die?’ during the recovery period after the operation, it is better to spend time doing volunteer work as it helps me pass the time meaningfully and meet many people. I also feel immensely happy when I see my artwork completed,” June shared.
She chooses to live a life in which she can utilize her artistic sewing talents to make a difference.
“Because I am still capable of managing my daily life, I have the desire to help less privileged seniors. It is important to extend our support to others since there may come a time when we ourselves might need assistance in the future. While I can still move my hands and legs effectively, I am determined to lend them a helping hand,” she resolved.
Unexpectedly, her hobby has quickly transformed into a meaningful upcycling project. The materials for the patchwork quilts come from cloths donated by residents living near the AAC who wish to support the centre’s charitable work and activities. The assortment of donated clothes showcases June’s creative talents even more as she derives design ideas on the spot by examining the pieces of cloth which she has to work with.
With National Cancer Survivors Day on June 4th, a day to remind that after a cancer diagnosis, though it is a reality, hope is within reach and destiny is still in our hands as long as one never gives up, June’s life story serves as an emblem of a fighter. She states, “As long as I can still help others, I am willing to give all I can to continue assisting other seniors.”
缝制温暖：一位75岁癌症幸存者与志愿者通过拼布被子为老人筹款
士兵不仅仅是那些在战争中战斗的人。认识我们的士兵——75岁的勇敢狮协（Lions Befrienders）资深志愿者翁胡珍，大家亲切地称她为“June”。她是梅岭150号活跃乐龄中心的成员。在她70多岁时，June经历了两次重大考验，独自面对这些挑战。四年前她失去了丈夫，无儿无女，独自生活。71岁时，她接受了心脏搭桥手术，一年后她与乳腺癌抗争，并进行了乳房手术。
2020年，在她接受癌症治疗期间，情况变得更加艰难，因为手术恰逢农历新年期间，由于新冠疫情没有探访者获准入院。更糟糕的是，她的视力也开始恶化。
考虑到June在老年时期所面临的艰难困苦，任何人都会感到沮丧。然而，June坚持走过了漫长的病痛之旅，没有陷入绝望。她分享道：“我不怕未来，也不担心。我学会了每天过好每一天。”这种态度使她能够以坚强和希望面对生活的障碍，包括可能的死亡。她还补充道，参加狮协活跃乐龄中心的活动让她心情愉快，帮助她培养了积极的性格，这些品质支撑她度过了这些挑战。
目前，June已完全康复，眼疾也痊愈了。她现在可以自由行动，并积极通过制作各种手工艺品（包括珠艺和手提袋，特别是拼布被子）为活跃乐龄中心筹集资金。
June已经为狮协志愿服务了大约28年，是该组织的先驱志愿者之一。一年多前，她将自己最热爱的两件事——志愿服务和缝制拼布毯子——结合在一起，投入时间缝制这些毯子，所有销售收入都用于中心的活动。
每一条手工拼布被子象征着家庭和温暖，都需要几天时间才能完成。至今她已经制作了大约30条。
她对为老人服务的热情是显而易见的，因为她几乎每天都在中心，从早到晚，工作在拼布被子上。
June分享道：“在手术后的恢复期间，与其思考‘我什么时候会死？’，不如通过做志愿工作来度过这段时间，因为这可以让我有意义地消磨时间，并结识许多人。当我看到自己的作品完成时，我也感到非常开心。”
有些人对她决定志愿服务并花时间制作拼布毯子的行为表示质疑，认为她没有必要这么做，因为即使没有她，中心也不会关闭。然而，June每天仍然坚持不懈地在中心志愿服务，无论风雨，她都保持着在手术和抗癌期间的那种心态。
她选择过一种能利用自己的艺术缝纫才能来改变生活的生活。
“因为我仍然能够自理，所以我有帮助不幸老人的愿望。支持他人很重要，因为未来可能我们自己也需要帮助。在我还能有效地动手动脚的时候，我决心伸出援手，”她坚定地说。
在志愿服务期间，June发现缝纫帮助她保持手脚协调。她将缝纫视为一种四肢的锻炼，因为这需要她踩动缝纫机的脚踏板，同时灵巧地移动双手。此外，她的志愿缝制拼布被子的工作也成为了与其他缝纫爱好者交流的平台。目前，有另外两位老人帮助她一起制作拼布被子。
出乎意料的是，她的爱好迅速转变成了一项有意义的环保项目。拼布被子的材料来自居住在活跃乐龄中心附近的居民捐赠的布料，他们希望支持中心的慈善工作和活动。捐赠的布料展示了June的创意才能，因为她通过观察这些布料片段即兴设计出了独特的拼布作品。
随着6月4日全国癌症幸存者日的到来，这一天提醒我们，尽管癌症诊断是一种现实，但希望仍然存在，只要不放弃，我们仍然可以掌控自己的命运。June的人生故事成为了一个战士的象征。她表示：“只要我还能帮助别人，我就愿意尽我所能继续帮助其他老人。”
This story is reposted from Lions Befrienders website – https://www.lionsbefrienders.org.sg/cancer-survivor-stitching-warmth/
This heartwarming narrative comes from Lions Befrienders, an organisation dedicated to journey alongside seniors. To learn more about their services, visit https://www.lionsbefrienders.org.sg/.
This work includes translation generated by ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI.
此作品包含由OpenAI开发的AI语言模型ChatGPT生成的翻译内容。