Self-worth keeps me going
Mr John Khang, 51, was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2014 and could not lift heavy objects because of his swollen feet. He was then forced to close down his repair shop. Here, he shares with us his difficult journey after being diagnosed with this debilitating illness and how, by receiving training as a barista through NKF’s patient employment programme, he has gotten back on his feet and looks towards the future positively.
In my younger days, I ate a lot of fast food, did not watch my salt intake and disliked eating vegetables. As
early as my 20s, I already had high blood pressure. When I was struck down with kidney failure,
I felt
dejected and was at a loss as to what to do. My first thoughts were one of pain and fear. When
I was on
dialysis, breathing was harder, and I experienced cramps at the start of dialysis, as my body needed time to
adjust. I easily lost my temper with my wife and daughter. The diagnosis also affected my family’s emotions as
everyone got more uptight, especially as I could not find work easily and contribute to the family. Our
frustrations kept piling up.
“I encourage other patients to be independent and be empowered to go out and find a job. When you
contribute to society, you will have a sense of self-worth.”
Mr John Khang, who is benefitting from NKF’s employment programme
My struggles to earn a living
I had to shut down my repair shop business which I ran for six years and took up part-time jobs. I was under great pressure at that time and sought counselling from a psychologist. What was most unbearable to me was the gossip from colleagues who did not understand that I had to leave work early for dialysis – they questioned why I did not have to do the menial work of moving goods when everyone was getting the same salary. Since I was earning much lesser working part-time, my financial situation was affected. My wife had to shoulder the burden as the main breadwinner. I am grateful for the subsidised dialysis treatment from NKF which helped ease my financial burden greatly.
I slowly began to adapt to my health condition and became a patient advocate, where I had the chance
to
interact with other patients. I even sang and performed for other patients during such sessions at the
dialysis centres.
One day, when I was at the NKF headquarters, I noticed patient baristas at the
lobby brewing coffee at Kaki Corner and it got me interested. I asked one of them whether I could join and
subsequently applied for it. I went through the training and started working there since last year.
My
fellow patient baristas and I will share with one another about what to eat before dialysis, and which part of
the dialysis procedure is more painful and how to cope with it – these are all topics that I have struggled to
talk about in other jobs previously. Now I look forward to communicating with colleagues who share the same
experiences every time I go to work. My mental burden has lightened, and my family can set their mind at ease
in letting me come out to work. I recently completed 100 hours of internship at Kong Café under Kaki Corner’s
training programme to improve my barista and customer service skills. They have since employed me on a
part-time basis.
Taking each day as it comes
Nowadays, I spend much of my free time with my family like watching movies at home or bringing my daughter
out to eat. I had also taken English classes to improve my English as well as baking classes.
I
encourage other patients to be independent and be empowered to go out and find a job. When you contribute to
society, you will have a sense of self-worth. I treasure each day to its fullest.
Empowering patients through employment programme
Since the recruitment of the first batch of patient employees for the programme last November,
15
patients have joined the programme and received professional barista and food hygiene training.
These patients will first accumulate at least 20 hours of work at Kaki Corner, with their wages
being funded by NKF. After which, they will get to intern at a local café that has partnered with NKF for
about 100 hours. The patient can then decide whether to return to work at Kaki Corner or stay on at the
partner café if there is a job opening.
NKF currently partners with eight cafés. By doing so, it
hopes to improve employers’ understanding of dialysis patients through such collaboration and help more
patients become self-reliant. To recruit more patients, social workers of each dialysis centre will look out
for patients who are willing to work, and then the team overseeing Kaki Corner will assess the patients’
ability, so as to ensure that they do not have problems like severe dizziness or trembling hands.
NKF’s Kaki Corner opens from Monday to Friday, 8am to 3pm.
The coffee beans and other materials here
are sponsored by donors,
and the public can pay any amount as they wish.
