A Quiet Life Shaped by Limits

Mr He Liyuan is 43 and lives alone with schizophrenia, a condition that disqualifies him from holding a job and earning a steady income. He relies on financial assistance from a social service agency, covering his basic needs.

Despite his own situation, Mr He follows a fixed routine that he rarely deviates from. Three times a week, he visits his 77-year-old mother Mdm Lim at the nursing home which takes care of her. She has no other visitors as her other children are either estranged or institutionalised themselves – Mr He’s visits are the anchor points in both his and her week.

Mdm Lim is in stable health, but her world has grown smaller. She is wheelchair-bound and spends most of her time indoors. Mr He shares that her spirits are often low, and what she misses most are simple comforts like her favourite meals and treats: chicken rice, nasi lemak, durian, noodles, assorted traditional kueh.

When Care Meets Constraint

While Mdm Lim’s nutritional needs are very well met by the nursing home, nothing can really replace the happiness one feels when a loved one visits, especially when they tabao a favourite meal to accompany the visit.

For Mr He, bringing her these meals is one of the few ways he can lift her mood. But this is where his challenges arise. With a tight budget, he already stretches his resources by eating just two meals a day. A significant portion of what he receives goes toward transport so he can continue visiting her regularly.

Rising living costs have made things harder. Even small purchases now require careful thought. Buying an extra meal for his mother is no longer something he can do consistently. What seems simple on the surface has become a difficult choice between his own needs and hers.

What Your Support Means

Ray of Hope is raising $870 to support meal purchases for Mdm Lim ($145 x 6 months). These are modest expenses, yet they add up for someone with very limited means.

With your support, Mr He can bring meals to Mdm Lim more often, giving her something to look forward to during the week. These are not grand gestures, but they matter deeply in a life that has gradually grown more confined.

More than anything, this support allows Mr He to feel a sense of fulfilment in caring for his mother. It gives him a way to express what words often cannot. For Mdm Lim, it brings moments of comfort and familiarity in her days.

* The total campaign goal includes a 1.8% payment processing fee.