CAS Journal Entry: Visit to palliative care center

            On October 22^nd, our class visited a palliative care centre for senior citizens who have been diagnosed with cancer. The purposed of our visit was mainly to perform for the elderly, as well as interact with them to take their mind off the day-to-day worries they have. Accompanying our class, were the other eleventh graders as well as some students from the junior school.

            Our thoughts going into this activity were that we should try our best to cheer up these brave men and women, who face so many problems in their lives. To help the centre provide for all the patients and their spouses, we took along all the rice that we had collected over a few months (rice seen in photos). We had no idea of the situation that awaited us. On reaching the centre, we were shocked to see that some of the elderly were so sick that they could not even move from their beds.

            Some of the men and women there so depressed they did not talk to us. We tried our best to pull them into conversations, and on some cases we succeeded but with others they sat in the corners by themselves. Not all of those present were cancer patients; some were there to get medicines for their spouses, or other relatives. The message they had to pass on to us was that cancer is a lifestyle disease and if we avoided chewing tobacco and smoking, we could most probably avoid getting cancer. The donation of rice was appreciated by the doctor who was in charge of the center, and when we spoke to him, he was glad that a school was taking such an interest in his patients.

            On the bus ride back, I felt like had learned a life lesson by interacting with these brave men and women. In their eyes I could see strength that I hope I can at least have a glimpse of one day. They will always inspire me and make me determined to live my life to the fullest. All in all, I’m very happy I came to school that day.