Our Story
TCN's pioneer batch of volunteers; be one of them, sign up here.
Our Story
Founded in July 2023, The Compassionate Network (TCN) was born from deeply-felt professional and personal experiences of its three founders, Mr. Lim See Wah, Dr. Ng Wai Chong, and Ms. Chee Wai Yee, who have worked and volunteered with patients with advanced illnesses and their caregivers.
Through their own experiences, they witnessed first-hand the complex clinical, social, emotional and spiritual challenges experienced by caregivers and care recipients. They were moved by what they saw – the confusion and fear, the frustration and pain but also the dignity and grace, of both the care recipients and caregivers as they walk together on a journey filled with hope and grief.
It is out of the complexities of navigating this advanced illness journey that TCN was born. Drawing from the earlier work of Venerable Hui Guang, and inspired by a quote from Professor Allan Kellehear, See Wah, Wai Chong and Wai Yee wanted to start a charity that acknowledges the profound human aspects of advanced illness care.
Dying is a social, psychological, and spiritual experience with a medical dimension and not the reverse
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— Professor Allan Kellehear, a pioneer and advocate for Compassionate Communities
TCN emphasises on emotional, social, spiritual and practical support alongside clinical care, bridging medical care with humanistic care for both patients and caregivers. The trio sees TCN as a channel through which lay helpers in the community can be engaged to not only support the caregivers and their care recipients on their end-of-life path, but also as a means to prepare everyone to be future caregivers, given Singapore's ageing society.
It is the hope of our founders that through TCN and its efforts with volunteers, partners, supporters and donors, a caring and supportive environment can be cultivated in Singapore where end-of-life journeys can be cradled in compassion for all, by all.
We invite you to be a part of this journey – join us as a volunteer, a partner or a donor because together, we can build a compassionate network.