PWD helps elderly Punggol neighbour who collapsed, although he wasn’t always kind to her: ‘If I don’t, who will?’
When an elderly man collapsed outside his Punggol home, his neighbour Riley did not hesitate to get help — even though, according to her uncle, the neighbour had not always treated her kindly.
For disability advocate Warren Sheldon Humphries, what his niece did on Sept 4 was a reminder that persons with disabilities (PWDs) are not simply people who need looking after — they look out for others too.
Warren told Stomp that Riley, who is also his caregiver, had been keeping an eye on their elderly neighbour at Block 657B Punggol East.
According to Warren, the man is believed to be in his late 70s or early 80s, is hearing impaired and lives apart from his wife, who regularly travels between China and Singapore.
“Despite the fact that he has not always been particularly nice to her, she has never allowed that to stop her from caring,” Warren said.
“He would often scold her for no reason but we found out he has a thyroid condition that affects his mood.”
Riley would keep an eye on the man’s daily movements and contact his wife when necessary.
“We had not seen him for some time until that day,” Warren said.
On Sept 4 at about 4.13pm, Riley saw the man return home dressed in what appeared to be a hospital gown.
He sat down on a bench outside his home before collapsing suddenly.
‘Something did not feel right’
Riley immediately called for help and contacted the man’s wife in China to let her know what had happened.
The man eventually managed to get back up and return to his home, but Riley remained concerned.
“Something did not feel right to her, so she stayed and waited for the officers to arrive,” Warren said.
Warren, who witnessed the incident, said Riley remained there until the man was attended to by emergency responders.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told Stomp that it received a call for assistance at Block 657B Punggol East at about 4.15pm.
One person was taken to Sengkang General Hospital.
Warren said the man’s wife subsequently told them that his blood pressure had fallen to 60 when he was taken to hospital.
‘If I don’t, who will?’
But what stayed with Warren most was his niece’s response when he later asked why she had gone to such lengths for a neighbour who “had not always treated her kindly”.
“I am a PWD looking out for someone who is our neighbour, an elderly person, but also a fellow PWD,” Riley told him. “If I don’t, who will?”
Warren said the sentiment reflected an aspect of inclusion that he felt was sometimes overlooked.
“Inclusion isn’t merely about what others can do for persons with disabilities,” he said.
“PWDs themselves are caregivers, neighbours, advocates, volunteers and members of the community who look out for others.”
Riley is registered with SG Enable but prefers to keep the nature of her disability private.
‘PWDs care for their communities too’
Warren himself is no stranger to disability advocacy.
Previously featured on Stomp, he was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease in 2020 and underwent a leg amputation in 2024 due to diabetes. He has since advocated for greater inclusion and challenged perceptions about what PWDs are capable of.
He also participated in the People’s Parade at this year’s National Day Parade, where he was among three participants selected to meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and First Lady Jane Ittogi.
Warren hopes Riley’s actions will encourage others to pay closer attention to elderly or vulnerable neighbours, particularly those living alone.
“PWDs don’t only need communities that care for them,” he said. “PWDs care for their communities too.”
He also expressed his appreciation to the police and SCDF officers who responded and took Riley’s concerns seriously.
Warren also informed Punggol GRC MP Sun Xueling about the incident.
“Please send my regards to Riley and please thank her for me as well,” Sun wrote in an email seen by Stomp.
- Additional reporting by Cherry Tan
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