Wee, who is a healthcare administrator, had witnessed it as a volunteer with another charity, Make-A-Wish Singapore, which fulfils the wishes of children aged three to 18 with critical illnesses.
When patients undergo difficult treatments such as chemotherapy, wishes can provide a reason for hope. “It lifts their spirits and gives them so much joy and something to look forward to. That’s the power of a wish,” said Wee.
TWO TRIES TO START THE CHARITY
AWS is an affiliate of the Ambulance Wish Foundation founded by former Dutch ambulance driver Kees Veldboer, but operates independently, said Wee.
The late Veldboer set up the foundation in 2007, a year after helping a patient he had met on the job.
While transferring the man, who loved sailing, to another hospital, they stopped by a canal to enjoy the “beautiful sunny day” after the man’s treatment was delayed. Veldboer later organised a boat trip for him around Rotterdam harbour.
Wee came across the foundation in 2016 through a friend’s Facebook post and tried reaching out to Veldboer without success.
The following year, inspired after hearing a talk about how Singaporean charity HealthServe was set up to serve the needs of migrant workers, Wee tried again.
This time round she got a positive response: Veldboer would be “most happy to support (us) if we wanted to set up a chapter in Singapore”.