Mr D was a hardworking man who managed to meet his sales target despite suffering from stage three nose cancer. He went through chemotherapy and because the cancer was spreading to his bones, he had difficulty moving around. It was painful watching him drag his feet when he came to meet me to submit some cases he had closed. His condition worsened two weeks after the chemo treatment. By then, he was no longer able to work.

I went down to visit Mr D, who was at that time living with his mother and elder brother. What I saw shocked me because he was obviously in great pain, but yet he was propped up on a wooden chair with a pillow behind his back. His medicine bottles were lying around all over the kitchen table. His brother didn’t seem too happy to have visitors in his home. Later that day, I learned from one of my staff that his marriage was on the rocks. His wife and two kids were living separately.

Two weeks later, Mr D succumbed to his illness and passed away in the hospital. His wife called me almost everyday to talk about the dispute between Mr D’s brother and her. According to the wife, she wanted to put him in the hospice where he would get proper medical care rather than being stuck in his brother’s home where he had to remember to take his own medicine. His brother objected violently despite the fact that Mr D had breathing difficulty and needed an oxygen tank. They only took him to the hospital when his condition became critical. During the funeral, the brother approached me to complain about the wife. I simply nodded my head and walked away.

It was very sad for Mr D to leave the world with family members bickering around him. Over the next few weeks after the funeral, I settled all the insurance claims and outstanding commission to be given to his wife. His wife had the habit of coming to my office without prior appointment to check on outstanding claims. Just about a month ago, I cleared the last commission cheque and told the wife that her lawyer has to write officially to the company if he needs more information about Mr D’s insurance coverage. On my part, I had done my job to settle the insurance claims and commission.