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A Chinese national who came to Singapore for work passed away on Mar. 22 after becoming bedridden due to a sudden stroke.
Shin Min Daily News (Shin Min) reported that the 48-year-old, surnamed Wang, was scheduled to return to his hometown in China’s Jilin province in mid-April.
Upon learning about his passing, Wang’s former employer offered to organise his funeral, together with his former employment agent, Lennon Peh, and officers from the Ministry of Manpower.
According to Peh, Wang’s ex-employer paid for all the funeral expenses because the latter hoped the donations raised for Wang previously, which amounted to S$70,000, could be used to help those in need.
Wang’s body was cremated on Mar. 24, and his ashes were scheduled to arrive in the city of Shenyang, China, last weekend.
Suffered a sudden stroke
According to Shin Min, Wang came to Singapore at the end of January 2022.
In March 2022, he left his assistant chef job and became a dishwasher.
However, two weeks later, he lost his new position due to personal reasons.
While waiting for his next job opportunity, Wang suddenly suffered a stroke at his dormitory in April 2022.
Wang was conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital via an ambulance and had to undergo brain surgery immediately.
In the end, the doctors had to remove a part of his skull to save his life.
Ex-agent stepped forward to help
After the surgery, Wang became a completely different man.
Not only did Wang lose his ability to talk to others, but he also became bedridden and required full-time nursing care, reported Shin Min.
Upon learning about Wang’s plight, Peh took on the responsibility of looking after Wang.
Image via Shin Min Daily News
Speaking to Shin Min, the 45-year-old explained that even though Wang suffered the stroke after his employment ended with his ex-employer, Peh still wanted to try his best to help Wang because he sympathised with the latter’s misfortune.
“I feel very sorry knowing [Wang] had become bedridden before he was able to work and make some money. I would feel uneasy if I chose to ignore it,” shared Peh.
Peh raised S$70,000 in 22 days to send Wang home
Around three months ago, Wang wrote on a piece of paper that he would like to go home.
However, the cost of his trip was estimated to be more than S$60,000.
Image by Lennon Peh via Give.Asia
To fulfil Wang’s dream, Peh started a fundraiser on Give.Asia on his behalf and managed to raise S$70,000 in 22 days.
The agent also shared with Shin Min that he had been liaising with Emergency Medical Services and reckoned that Wang would be able to return home around mid-April.
Wang passed away on Mar. 22
Unfortunately, before he could board the flight home, Wang passed away on Mar. 22 in the hospital due to pneumonia.
Upon learning about his passing, Wang’s ex-employer decided to help organise his funeral and pay for all the expenses.
However, the ex-employer declined to disclose the exact amount they spent when probed by Shin Min.
According to Peh, Wang’s ex-employer offered to pay for all the funeral expenses because the latter hoped the donations raised for Wang previously could be used to help those in need.
As for the S$3,000 donation Peh received separately, which was meant to fund the nursing fees for Wang, the agent said he would transfer all of them to Wang’s brother via WeChat.
Mother suffered stroke upon knowing Wang’s passing
After learning about her son’s untimely death, Wang’s wheelchair-bound mother was so grief-stricken that she suffered a stroke, reported Shin Min.
As Wang’s brother had to take care of his mother and remain by her side at all times, he couldn’t make it to his brother’s funeral.
As such, Peh had been in close contact with Wang’s brother throughout Wang’s funeral and had been updating his brother promptly.
“Wang’s brother was able to send his brother off from the other side of the phone screen, and he looked forward to bringing his brother home at the airport,” added Peh.
Donations to be transferred to other programmes
In response to Shin Min‘s queries, a Give.Asia spokesperson said that the platform would be updating the donation page to share that Wang had passed away.
Even though the donation could no longer be of help to Wang, the amount will be diverted to another fundraiser of similar nature.
This way, the donations can still benefit those in need.
Members of the public who donated to Wang previously and would like a refund can also contact the platform for assistance.
Top images via Shin Min Daily News
