By Jonathan Francis Koh Wu Teng This piece was selected as a winning entry in the CHEER™ Short Story Contest: Healing Tales 2025. This is part of a broader effort to capture the lived experiences of Allied Health and Pharmacy professionals. The contest highlights authentic stories that reflect the CHEER™

Jean Si-En Behrend

That one day came. In the manless hospital, the bed emitted sonic signals, tracing his life-flow, sprouting numbers that sang his sad song of health. Humanoid nurses inserted the cannula with unhuman precision. The blueberry drip danced along his veins bargaining for more time. “It is time.” His bed

By William Hwang, MBBS, FRCP, FAMS, MBA

This song has been seven years in the making. Back in 2018, I wrote a poem for aspiring medical students about what it truly means to be a doctor. No holds barred. No sugar coating. But also an explanation of why, despite everything, I remained one. I titled it “Don’

Teacher or villain-elle? Here comes another eager-eyed learner, She stutters as her glasses begin to mist, Wisdom or trauma: which will it be, Teacher? Now with beaded sweat and shy demeanour, She asks to examine the pulse at the wrist, Here comes another eager-eyed learner. With eyes

The echo of Mother’s Day still lingers—soft, tender, and complex. Time rushes forward, but emotions unfold on their own schedule. That’s why we’re sharing this collection now, in the quiet that follows the celebration—when reflection can settle in more gently. Every mother-child relationship tells

I saw you, as a baby, Wrapped and swaddled in a coat of darkness Helpless, unable to fend for yourself Desperate cries were all you could harness I saw you, as a baby, Who had done nothing to deserve this plight Scared, scarred, shaken Unequipped to fight or take flight

Yesterday I saw Amidst a sea of grey on metal frames Sharp words and tender actions A gruff growl to stop her kicking Shoes taken off as gently as a slipper Mother, he spits but softer glances Her tremors encased in his calloused hands The cough racks through her question

Back in my day We did 36 hour shifts Came back the next morning Traced old notes, retrieved Survived 8 calls per month We did all the ECGs Had 40 patients to round Transcribed medication lists We pushed stainless steel trolleys piled up with patient files After ordering antibiotics We