On 13 April 2018, Joshua Tan’s ashes were brought back to Singapore. 55 Tzu Chi volunteers gathered at the funeral parlour to chant the Buddha’s name for him.
NUS medical graduate, Joshua Tan, took the opportunity of a break to go on a holiday in Iceland with two of his friends before commencing his housemanship. On 4 April 2018, their happy self-drive trip ended in a car crash when they were hit by strong winds while driving on an uneven road. The car overturned a few times before landing on the roadside. Joshua was stuck in the driver’s seat and was pronounced dead shortly after he was sent to the hospital. His two other friends suffered injuries and both returned to Singapore for treatment.
Upon receiving the devastating news of her son’s death, Joshua’s mother, Claire Tee (Zheng Ting Lin), who was having a vacation in South Korea, rushed back to her maternal home in Penang, Malaysia. Two days later, she and her two elder sisters travelled together to Iceland. Claire remained brave and composed throughout the entire journey, temporarily setting aside the pain of losing her son to focus on the urgent funeral matters.
Joshua’s maternal aunts (Claire’s elder sisters), Zheng Ya Yee and Zheng Siew Zhu, are both Tzu Chi commissioners in Penang. Upon receiving the shocking news of the accident, they immediately informed Tzu Chi Malaysia to contact the Tzu Chi headquarters in Taiwan, to request for assistance from Tzu Chi volunteers in Europe. At the same time, Tzu Chi Singapore was informed about the news, too.
Standing by the bereaved family throughout the journey
On 8 April 2018, the Zheng sisters arrived in London and were greeted by UK Tzu Chi volunteers, Susan Ong and Yang Xiao Mei. Then, the five of them took a flight to Iceland to retrieve Joshua’s body for cremation. Joshua’s father went on a different flight to Iceland at a later time. Everything was unfamiliar to the family in a foreign land, and the entire process was complicated and costly. They had to go through several offices and establishments, including the police station, hospital, funeral parlour and insurance company, to settle all the necessary documentation and funeral arrangements.
“The whole process was lengthy and tedious as we encountered challenges and hurdles at every stage. My younger sister and Sister Susan kept making phone calls and sending emails to liaise with the police and the Singapore Embassy in the UK. After solving one problem, another popped up!” shared Zheng Ya Yee as she recalled the numerous difficulties they faced in Iceland.
“The support given by the two Tzu Chi sisters while we were in a foreign land meant a lot to us. Without them, we really didn’t know what to do,” she said, and added, “Initially, we thought that it would take 2 to 3 weeks to complete all the documentation and arrangements, but surprisingly, everything was done within a week.”
Their problems were solved rather smoothly, one after another, with special arrangements made by the local police, hospital, funeral parlour and the airline company. Meanwhile, a funeral arrangement in Singapore was being prepared by Tzu Chi volunteers according to the wishes of the family.
Joshua’s twin brother, Jerome Tan, meets his parents at Changi Airport and helps to carry the box containing his brother’s ashes.
At Joshua’s memorial service on 14 April 2018, around 150 family members and friends gathered to pay their last respects to Joshua. Everyone solemnly grieved for the untimely loss of their beloved family member and young, promising friend, while reminiscing their fond memories of him.
During her speech at the memorial service, Joshua’s mother, Claire, said, “I have chosen a sea burial for him, because he loved freedom. Let us just keep him in our hearts and allow his soul to soar freely.”
“I have lost my twin brother, my best friend and best playmate,” said Jerome Tan (Joshua’s brother) sadly. He also shared about the happy times he had with his twin during their growing up years.
“Joshua was a cheerful and optimistic person. Whenever things didn’t turn out the way as expected, he would always say, ‘It’s alright, this is life’,” said Titus, one of the two friends who survived the car crash in Iceland.
“If Joshua could see us today and knew that he still lives in the hearts of his family and friends, I’m sure he would feel very comforted,” said Lee, Joshua’s secondary school classmate and good friend. He further shared that Joshua used to remind him to make the most out of each day, so that he would not have any regrets when it is time for him to leave the world.
Tzu Chi volunteers helping to decorate the unit for Joshua at the funeral parlour
“The greatest blessing is being there to give help when people need us most. To be able to lend people a shoulder to lean on brings the greatest happiness,” said Susi Zhao, Deputy CEO of Tzu Chi Singapore.
Susi is part of Tzu Chi Singapore’s bereavement support team, and, on behalf of the Foundation, she expressed gratitude for the opportunity to render assistance to the bereaved family and to journey with them from the beginning till the end.
In the afternoon on 15 April, the family of Joshua chartered a boat which took them to the open sea, where they scattered his ashes gently into the water. Amid their deep grief and pain, they gave Joshua their blessings and hoped that he would be reborn to the world soon.
The unfortunate incident that struck without any warning brought much shock and sorrow to the family. But the care and love from Tzu Chi volunteers had provided them with comfort and support that deeply touched their hearts.
Joshua’s family chose a sea burial for him, to let his soul soar freely in the arms of the sea.
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