Giving Through Touch - Vivien Yen

"It was really eye-opening to see how strong and impressive the mind power of the para athletes as well as their team spirit were."

"With more than 10,000 people and all our resources, we can fight a war!", this triggered in Vivien's mind when she attended the Team Nila Leaders' Committee meeting in 2016. With the knowledge gained from researching on Singapore's healthcare system as well as personally enduring a year of physiotherapy after a broken arm, she had a brewing desire to merge sports science with healthcare to help the chronically ill improve their quality of life. 

Photo Credit: Kelly Yuen

Fuelled with an enterprising mind and a strong desire to help those in need, Vivien drafted a proposal to introduce massage therapy to the chronically ill patients in the Ren Ci hospital. 

"Besides the more mechanical benefit of helping to manually mobilise the patients' limbs to improve blood circulation and mobility, there is a crucial component of the human touch where we are also fixing their heart which helps speed up their recovery.", shared Vivien. The hospital took swiftly to the idea and the Ren Ci Wellness Programme rolled out in February 2017. 

As we delved into the 'whys' and 'hows' of Vivien's journey in sport volunteerism, it was interesting to learn how Vivien's sense of patriotism played a part in her choices in life which eventually led her onto this path of contribution. When the opportunity to volunteer for the 2015 SEA Games arose, Vivien signed up without much hesitation as she hoped to reconnect with the local community whilst putting her skills and experience on international relations to good use.