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When Brandon completed his National Service in November 2025, many of his peers were making plans for university or work. Brandon had a different idea. He wanted to understand something that most people his age rarely think about: what it truly means to journey alongside someone in the final chapter of their life.
“I was keen to learn about the emotional aspect of palliative care,” Brandon reflected. “It’s an overlooked part of community healthcare, and I felt it mattered.”
It was a quieter calling than most would expect from someone his age. But from his very first day, Brandon showed up with something that cannot be taught: the ability to see the person behind the patient.
Brandon’s first assignment as a volunteer was also his most challenging. He was asked to befriend a patient with dementia — someone known to be difficult. The patient frequently raised his voice, refused help and threatened those around him. He was, by most accounts, difficult to reach.
Where others saw a demanding patient, Brandon saw something different: an elderly grandfather slowly losing his memory, his independence and his sense of self to a disease beyond his control.
Brandon began spending time with him regularly — playing cognitive games, drawing out reminiscent conversations and gently encouraging him to join in activities as well as a little exercise. Some days were difficult. There were outbursts and frustrating moments where patience was the only tool available. Brandon held steady through all of it.
Then, on some quieter days, something shifted. A subtle smile would cross the patient’s face — brief, almost imperceptible, but unmistakably real.
“Even if he didn’t remember me,” Brandon said. “I knew my presence had made a difference.” These small moments became the foundation of his commitment. They also opened a door. Inspired, Brandon began exploring every other role where he could contribute.
Brandon engaging in a tabletop game with a patient at HCA Oasis@Woodlands Day Hospice.
A Volunteer of Many Hats
Today, Brandon serves across multiple roles at HCA Hospice. He is a Befriender at HCA Oasis@Woodlands Day Hospice, a General Helper at HCA Oasis@Outram Day Hospice, and a Home Befriender visiting patients receiving home-based medical and nursing support.
In each role, he brings the same quality: genuine presence. At the day hospices, he supports daily operations, patient outings and centre events. During the Chinese New Year celebration, he went a step further, donning a lion dance costume and entertaining patients with singing and dancing, filling the room with laughter and festive energy. It was the kind of moment that lingers long after the decorations come down.
Brandon guiding a patient in learning to play the piano at HCA Oasis@Outram Day Hospice.
His care extends beyond the hospice walls too. Brandon accompanied a bereaved family member and her elderly friend to HCA Remembrance Day, picking them up from home, staying by their side throughout and ensuring they returned safely. They described him as someone whose presence they felt immediately at ease with. It is a small but telling detail that the patients and caregivers Brandon befriends don’t just feel helped — they feel held. Brandon also teaches piano to patients at both day hospices, helping them fulfil a long-held wish to learn the instrument. For patients whose world has shrunk, the ability to learn something new means more than words can express.
Beyond the activities, Brandon is attentive in ways that matter. He notices when something is off. He speaks up when he spots concerns that affect a patient’s well-being. Staff describe him as cheerful, reliable and popular with patients. Fellow volunteers look to him as a model of what dedication looks like.
What the Patients Taught Him
For all that Brandon contributed, he is quick to speak of what he has received in return.
Volunteering at HCA Hospice introduced him to patients with vastly different personalities, histories and outlooks on life. What struck him most was not their illness, but their spirit. Even in pain, many continued to laugh, to express gratitude, to make the most of each day. They faced the end of life not with defeat, but with a quiet, determined courage.
“Their attitude towards life deeply enlightened me,” he said. “They showed me what it means to face life’s darkest battles with dignity.”
This, perhaps, is what makes Brandon’s story so compelling, not only for what a young volunteer has contributed to the hospice community, but for what that community has given back to him. Palliative care, after all, is not a one-way act of service. It is an exchange. A relationship. A reminder, for everyone involved, of what it means to be human.
Brandon chose to spend his leisure time in service to others at an age when the world was telling him to focus on himself. In doing so, he found something most people spend a lifetime searching for: a sense of purpose, shaped quietly, one small moment of connection at a time.
