Passed away suddenly in Koh Samui, Thailand on March 30, 2013 at the tender age of 34 years. Swe Yen is lovingly remembered by her fiancé, Mark Wade; dad, Leong; bonus mom, Glendene; mother, Valerie; step-father, Ricardo; sisters: Swe Tjin and husband Matthew, Swe Liang; brothers: Kin Leong and Joshua; niece Madeleine, as well as many exceedingly special family and extended family members who meant a great deal to her. Swe Yen was born in Birmingham, England on January 15, 1979 and immigrated to Newfoundland in 1989. Swe Yen greatly valued education and graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland, not once, but twice with a Bachelor of Biochemistry in 2001 and Bachelor of Nursing in 2007. Swe Yen taught ESL in Korea from 2002-2004. For the past six years, Swe Yen travel nursed in various locales, almost always with Mark. From Yellowknife, NWT, High Level and Fort Vermillion, Alberta, Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia with many stops in between. Colleagues of Swe Yen describe her as an incredibly bright, beautiful, caring and giving nurse who positively impacted every person she met. This is evidenced by the dedication of a new trauma room at St. Theresa’s General Hospital in Fort Vermillion in her honour. Swe Yen loved life, squeezing everything she could out of it. She travelled extensively, worked hard, played hard, loved her family and deeply loved Mark. We will miss so many things - her eyes that offered a glimpse in to her beautiful soul, her laugh that filled a room, her smile that lit up our world, her crazy British/Newfoundland accent. The very essence of Swe Yen was love, and her love we will carry with us until we meet again. Memorial services have been held in Koh Samui, Thailand on April 3, 2013, at The Portside Pub in Vancouver, British Columbia on April 13, 2013, at Barrett’s Funeral Home in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 21, 2013 and at St. Theresa’s General Hospital in Fort Vermillion, Alberta on April 24, 2013. To honour Swe Yen’s values, a scholarship fund has been established at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Faculty of Nursing. Donations may be made by mail, internet or telephone. Cheques may be sent to: Alumni Affairs and Development, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 20 Lambe’s Lane, St. John’s, NL A1C 5S7. By internet, donations may be made online through this webpage: https://www3.mun.ca/alumni/giving.p001. By telephone, please call (709) 864-6763 or Toll-Free 1-877-700-4081. *When making a donation, please indicate that it is in memory of Swe Yen Lam*
~ Nothing is so strong as gentleness and
nothing is so gentle as real strength ~
Ralph W. Sockman