Yesterday, I received the sad news from my cousin Bernie that my Auntie Doreen Regis née Castillo, passed away in her sleep. For nearly a year she had been having asthma medicine to help her breathing because her lungs were getting weak. She was also suffering from dementia and had been staying at a nursing home for 8 years in Sydney.
Bernie said that for the last 5 years she was alive but not living because she was bedridden, unable to walk and talk. Auntie Doreen was my late mom's closest sister. She was the most generous and one of the kindest souls I've ever known. She always made others happy, and she'll always be part of many of my happiest childhood memories; school holidays at her home in Singapore, trips to Penang and the times she came over with my cousins Bernie and Vicky to stay at our place in JB. She even used to help us out financially.
The last time I got to see her was some 9 years ago in Singapore and I smile when I think about how she still remembered my name despite her failing memory (far left in the pic here). You will always be loved, Auntie Doreen.
