Facing an advanced stage of cancer that is rapidly deteriorating, one woman had a simple yet poignant last wish: to have a specially tailored dress and a beautiful photograph taken for her funeral.
Ambulance Wish Singapore (AWS), a non-profit organisation that fulfils final wishes for terminally-ill patients, shared the story of "Mdm Chan" on their Facebook page.
After hearing of Chan's wish from Sandy, a medical social worker at Outram Community Hospital (OCH), a team of volunteers was formed to make her final wish come true.
AWS visited Chan at OCH, to find out her preferences and requirements for the dress.
In addition, an art therapy intern at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) also helped to sketch out her dream dress.
To transform this sketch into reality, the volunteers swiftly got to work.
Sandy facilitated the process by sourcing fabric samples, allowing Chan to choose the material that would become her final gown.
With fabric in hand, AWS arranged for Ros, a volunteer tailor, to take measurements and bring Chan's vision to life.
Photo from Ambulance Wish Singapore/ Facebook
In less than nine hours spread across two afternoons, an ivory lace dress with a high collar was ready for Chan to wear.
Unfortunately, Chan was in a weakened state with diminished responsiveness on the day of the photography shoot.
Despite that, the AWS volunteers and nurses from the ward rallied together.
They applied light makeup and adorned her with accessories to ensure that she looked her best for the final portrait.
Photo from Ambulance Wish Singapore/ Facebook
Speaking in a mix of Mandarin and Cantonese, they also encouraged her to keep her eyes open and to smile for the camera.
Eventually, Chan's final wish was fulfilled, thanks to their efforts.
"It meant so much to Mdm Chan, to have her in her very own tailored dress captured in a photo," AWS wrote in their Facebook post.
Top photo from Ambulance Wish Singapore/ Facebook