What I love most about Derek is his friendly manner and how he pays attention to what you’re saying. He responds accordingly and never oversells. He is honest and straightforward and pays attention to the smallest of details. We realized after some research on our side, on top of all Derek said to us, that Prudential was best for us as a family and that Derek will be our family agent. It’s a decision I will never regret.
A few years after that my father passed away. It was heartbreaking as he battled diabetes and the resulting kidney disease for years without insurance to help pay for any of it. It was a huge financial strain on the family and we decided that getting insurance for my mom is of top most priority to avoid a similar situation. She was 55 and in great shape and after consulting with Derek, we managed to secure a policy for her albeit at a higher premium. We decided it was a cost worth swallowing given what we’ve experienced with my father.
Then, a few days after our family trip from Bali, she called me asking to speak to Derek. I queried her on why and she explained that she wasn’t feeling well. I advised her to go to a doctor and got in touch with Derek, explaining the situation.
Everything happened so fast. That’s what I remember most beyond that point. She had gone to see a specialist at SDMC on Friday evening. By Monday, the diagnosis came out. LATE-STAGE CERVICAL CANCER. No signs, no symptoms. Silent killer.
Derek came to our aid very quickly with warmth, compassion and efficiency. All this was hard to believe looking at a woman who just 2 weeks back was walking in the hot sun for kilometers shopping with her family.
In a time when we needed to focus on getting my mom better, Derek ensured that we didn’t need to deal with the mess of billing, insurance coverage, hospital issues or any other thing. He informed us of how we were free to choose which doctors to go with and which hospital and he will make the arrangements accordingly.
What I will remember most about Derek from this period is how he came to just spend time with my mother with no agenda. He came when he was free, brought her chocolates each time and before he left, he prayed with her. She was genuinely happy every time he swung by. He went above and beyond the calls of an insurance agent. He is just a wonderful human being.
Mom spent many long spells in the hospital over 6 months for radiation therapy, chemo and pain management. When she wasn’t in hospital though, based on Derek’s recommendation we got nurses to help with home palliative care which was covered to some degree by Prudential and this alleviated a lot of stress on our part. We didn’t even know this aspect when we signed on for the insurance. To be honest when we got the insurance for mom, the expectation for the insurance was to cover her in any accidental injury situation and not such a serious disease like cancer. But when she was struck, and we needed to actually use the insurance for what it’s for, only then did we find how deep the coverage goes and how thankful we were to have gotten her top tier coverage.
Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, mom succumbed to the cancer and passed away 6 months after getting her diagnosis. Derek made sure to check in with us regularly and wrapped up all loose ends in terms of claims quite quickly. I must also mention his lovely wife Siew Peng for also providing assistance in this time though I know she is mostly in the background never wanting to take the compliment. All paperwork and claims are handled so efficiently and I know this is in large part due to her efforts and their team in the office.
All in all, we’re indebted to Derek for he came through for us in one of our toughest times. He was there as our agent, an ally and most importantly, as our FRIEND.
Written by Jay Menon (TV and Radio Presenter)
