When 80-year-old Liu Xiao Zhong died in his sleep on a cheap mattress on the floor of Mr Lee Cho Poon’s one-room rental flat in 2011, Mr Lee arranged his funeral and paid his respects to him.
Four years later, another elderly man, Mr Lee Wen Qiang, who was in his 70s, died in the same flat.
Mr Lee was not related to either of the men, whom he met on the street while busking.
But the 83-year-old retiree shared that he considered them his brothers, hence cared for them in the same way he does now for his latest housemate, 86-year-old Neo Cheng Liang.
Over the past decade, not only did Mr Lee opened his home to the three men, but he has also fed and clothed them on the little savings he had.
For all that, Mr Lee received the Singapore Patient Caregiver Award last Friday (25 October).
The award, which has been around since 2014, is given out by Tan Tock Seng Hospital to honour caregivers for their strength, resilience and unwavering dedication in caring for their loved ones amid challenges.
Mr Lee ran away from home in his 20s because he was abused by his adoptive father and never looked back, becoming a travelling salesman and living in various rental apartments around Singapore for the next 40 years or so.
He eventually became a busker, playing the erhu and singing in various locations. He moved into his current rental flat in Ang Mo Kio in the late 1990s.
He met Mr Liu and Mr Lee Wen Qiang on the streets of Chinatown on separate occasions.
Around 2009, Mr Lee received a call from Mr Liu asking for help. He was kicked out of the flat by his housemate, as he was suffering from incontinence.
A few years after Mr Liu’s death, Mr Lee Wen Qiang had also been kicked out of his apartment by his housemate.
He is prepared to do the same for Mr Neo, who was his neighbour for around 20 years before moving in with him in 2017.
Mr Neo, who has dementia and is hard of hearing, had asked to live with Mr Lee when his younger brother had wanted to put him in an old folks’ home.
Both Mr Neo and Mr Lee live on financial assistance of $500 each a month, as Mr Lee’s savings from his busking days ran out a long time ago.
Despite acknowledging that it can get tiring at times, Mr Lee does not see it as a problem as they are in the same circumstances and rely on each other.
“I have nothing to be upset about, I have no burden. So why shouldn’t I be happy?”, said Mr Lee, who is not married.
Mr Lee, who has spent years taking care of others, does not expect anyone to do the same for him.
Till he needs to check himself into a nursing home, he intends to keep caring for Mr Neo for as long as he can.
Watch the video below to hear the interview with Mr Lee.
Read more here.
Source: The Straits Times, 29 October 2019