Published on: June 30, 2026

In palliative care, patients are often asked a simple question:
“Is there anything you would like to do or have?”

The answers are rarely extravagant. More often than not, they are simple wishes, that may have deep meaning in their lives.

Recently, a gentleman receiving palliative care had reached the final stage of his illness. His body was growing weaker, and everyone around him understood that time was short. Amidst conversations about medications, symptoms, and care, he was gently asked the question.

He paused for a moment and then said softly,
“I want to wear my watch.”

His family was surprised. Of all the things he could have asked for, it was his watch that mattered.
They brought it from home. Someone carefully fastened it around his wrist.
The change was almost imperceptible, yet profound. He looked at it, touched it gently, and a sense of peace settled over him.

It was never just a watch.

It was the watch he had worn to work, to family celebrations, to ordinary days that had become precious memories. It had marked the passing of countless hours of his life—moments of joy, responsibility, love, and purpose. Wearing it again reminded him that he was still the same person he had always been, not merely a patient in a bed.

That moment captures the heart of palliative care.

We may not always be able to cure an illness or add more days to life. But we can add life to the days that remain. We can listen deeply, honour what matters, and preserve a person’s dignity and identity until the very end.

When there’s not much we can do to cure an illness, all we can do is offer compassion.
A watch placed on a wrist.
A wish fulfilled.
A man remembered for who he was.
And a gentle reminder that every person is far more than their disease.