Is the tissue uncle my neighbour?

It has been a while since I last spoke to a tissue auntie. As much as I can say that I've not seen one in recent times, I can't help noticing 2 tissue-selling uncles near my workplace. But it's just noticing; no action taken.

One can't help noticing the 2 uncles selling tissues and snacks like Pocky sticks in an area where you will pass by for lunch almost everyday. So here I whizz by, pass by, walk by, stride by; nothing happens. I figure Jesus could have used my name in place of the priest and the Levite in the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). There were also times when I told himself, “I’m not in the ‘mood’” or “I’m tired”; excuses that were far too easy to make. But I would have cringed if Jesus were to tell blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46-52) that he was not “in the mood” to heal him; especially when Bartimaeus was shouting and crying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

So I think enough is enough. Let's talk. Let's be a good neighbour. The 1st uncle sells his ware on a motorised wheelchair. He came all the way down from Woodlands because business was poor in that area. He is a nice, quiet man who is bilingual and the most striking phrase from him was, "What to do? I need to earn a living." Selling tissue and Pocky sticks was certainly not below his dignity. But it must have been tough.

The 2nd uncle stations himself along a walkway to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. And you can't miss him. He has a plastic tubing attached near his chest and he keeps crying out, “Brothers, Sisters, please help me. I need to go for kidney dialysis. Please help me.”* His story is more heart-wrenching, and I believe that he is not alone in Singapore.

Besides having to go for kidney dialysis, he has heart problems and diabetes. NKF would not take him because of his heart problem so he had to go for dialysis at a private centre (Novena Medical Centre) as his condition requires a doctor to be around. When asked if there were help from the government, he said they would only help if he is willing to sell his 3-room flat and rent from HDB. It will be easy for us to say, “Sell the flat”, but few would understand that having your own roof over your head is a matter of security and dignity. Few would opt to sell unless it’s a life-and-death matter.

He has 2 young children, 12 and 14 years old, and his wife is currently hospitalised at TTSH after going through surgery for breast cancer. He is semi-blind because of diabetes and currently earns his living through selling tissues.

Yes, we may ask ourselves if his story is true. But how many of us would bother to first, get to know him as a friend, and second, to verify his account over the course of knowing him as a friend. Few of us would dare do this. Why? Because by then, you cannot say, “I don’t know.”

If there is any lesson to take home besides the sobering wake-up call of not loving my neighbour, it is the closing phrase of the tissue uncle. His parting words to me as I bid him goodbye was “谢谢你。 感恩，感恩。”** I wonder if I would say “感恩” too if I were in his situation.

May we be a grateful people, and good neighbours bearing the good news of Jesus Christ.

* Not exact quote. Paraphrased.
** Xie Xie Ni. Gan En. Gan En. translated as "Thank you. I give thanks. (I'm grateful)" (note: I do not know if he is a Christian although "Gan En" is often used by Christians.)