Helping Hands for Mutual Help

Shortly after being diagnosed of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) at the age of 15, Mr Clovis Man Kwok-pan was hit by pneumonia so badly that he had to stay in hospital. He was touched by the selflessness of the medical team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), who took care of him round the clock. Thus, when his doctor invited him to join The Circle of Friendship & Sunshine, a SLE patient support group, Clovis joyfully accepted. He found the mutual support among patients greatly beneficial. Ever since, he has been actively participating in voluntary services for helping patients.

 

"I am still young, and can have more time and energy to help others," Clovis says. He hopes that those he has helped would, one day, be capable of offering help to others too.

 

Life on Life

Since 2006, he has been a core member of the SLE group, helping to organize activities, regular gatherings and massive events to facilitate sharing among patients and their families, as well as to communicate with the medical and nursing professionals. The group's serving targets have now been extended from teenage SLE patients of QEH to patients of other illnesses.

 

Clovis believes that understanding an illness well is the best weapon for fighting against it. Therefore, he is always keen to provide patients with all sorts of SLE information, including his own experience especially on the distresses over the illness. For example, the steroids may result in body swelling, the considerable recovering period between relapses may lead to mood swings... Being one who has waded through it all, Clovis always offers himself as a keen listener and supporter for other SLE patients. His experience is also included in We are together · Teens with SLE - a book published by QEH on the real-life stories of SLE teens. To enhance the public's understanding of SLE and SLE patients, Clovis has actively participated in the publicity work of the book launch.

Clovis' volunteering endeavors have extended beyond SLE to pediatric patients. He has helped arrange activities for children with disability or chronic illness. He believes that the travels and outdoor visits would not only help broaden the children's horizons, but also enable them to integrate with the community.

Clovis hopes to motivate more people to join the volunteering force for offering care and support to patients, so as to empower them to fight against illnesses.