‘He fought till the end': Singaporean man who survived acid attack as a baby dies of cancer at 26

The Star

01-07-2025

SINGAPORE: Few had expected Samuel Lim Hong Xiang to survive after his grandmother's domestic helper poured acid down his throat when he was just three months old.
But Samuel defied every medical prognosis and lived on.
Despite severe damage to his vocal cords and tongue, Samuel graduated with a master's degree in pathology from the University of Melbourne and, earlier in 2025, fulfilled his dream of becoming a speech and language therapist at Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities.
But in June, barely five months into the job, Samuel was diagnosed with nose cancer. He died on Saturday (June 28) at the age of 26.
Samuel is survived by his parents, Lim Boon Keong and Tan Poh Ling, both in their early 50s, as well as a 20-year-old sister and a 23-year-old brother.
A memorial corner at Samuel Lim's wake, decorated with items including his master's degree plaque androbe. - Photo: ST
'We were told he had stage 4 cancer,' Boon Keong told The Straits Times.
'But in his final week, he looked fine. He said he didn't feel any pain. He wanted to live.'
Tan said that despite the diagnosis, Samuel remained hopeful. He had received his first chemotherapy treatment three days before his death and had expressed his hope to return to work.
Samuel's first interview with the media appeared in The Sunday Times on Oct 21, 2012, when he was 13 and known as the boy who survived a horrific acid attack in June 1999.
Back then, Samuel's parents, who were engineers in the family business, had left him in his grandmother's flat.
Samuel Lim loved music and had studied piano and guzheng. - Photo: ST file
His parents' helper Latifah was in the kitchen, while Samuel, who was then three months old, was asleep in the living room.
The grandmother's helper Sumiyem, then 17, took the opportunity to pour sulphuric acid in Samuel's mouth, as she was jealous of Latifah and wanted to get her into trouble.
Sumiyem was later jailed for eight years.
The attack caused severe injuries to Samuel's mouth, throat and vocal cords.
His upper airway was destroyed. He had to be fitted with a tracheostomy tube in his neck to help him breathe and a gastrostomy tube in his stomach for feedings.
Throughout his life, he never tasted food and never once asked for it, his parents said previously.
'I don't hate her,' Samuel told ST in 2012, referring to his attacker.
Samuel grew up to love music, and tried everything from swimming and hip-hop dance to badminton and piano.
He went on to attain Grade 9 in guzheng and Grade 8 in piano and music theory.
Over the years, he had performed in numerous concerts and helped to raise funds for charities. His final piano performance was in April, at a Beautiful Mind Charity concert, said his mother.
Samuel's teachers at Yuan Ching Secondary School described him as an inspiring student and a role model, in messages left in a memorial book at his wake.
In 2019, he received the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Scholarship for Persons with Disabilities while pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in linguistics and multilingual studies at the National Technological University (NTU).
In December 2024, Samuel graduated from his master's programme and the family celebrated the occasion with a road trip in Melbourne.
On Jan 10, Samuel began his first job – at Thye Hua Kwan as a speech and language therapist.
'He wanted to return to Singapore to contribute to the society,' said Tan.
'He told me that he was also hoping to save up and buy an HDB flat one day.'
Boon Keong added that his son had always wanted to live independently and he was proud to earn his own income.
Samuel Lim graduated with a master's degree in pathology from the University of Melbourne. - Photo courtesy of Samuel Lim's family
Samuel sought medical attention on May 14 for a nose bleed, and a specialist appointment was scheduled for him in July.
But on June 6, Samuel felt that something was not right and headed to the accident and emergency department at the National University Hospital.
When he arrived, his nose started bleeding persistently and he was hospitalised.
He also experienced severe headaches and facial pain, said Tan.
Over the following two weeks, he underwent scans and biopsies, ultimately leading to the diagnosis of stage 4 cancer.
Even though his stint at Thye Hua Kwan was short, Tan remembered how Samuel was so committed that 'he burned the midnight oil to work on their reports'.
His sister Yong Zhen, an undergraduate at NTU, said her brother had taught her the most important lesson in her life: 'He showed me that it's not the adversity itself that defines our lives, but how we choose to respond to it.'
Samuel also inspired medical professionals who had walked with him from the time he suffered the attack, such as Associate Professor Daniel Goh.
The senior consultant paediatrician at Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute at NUH said: 'Samuel faced significant adversity in life from a very young age. Despite that, he faced life with boldness, strength and bravery.
'He never let his physical limitations determine him. He lived life to the fullest and surmounted all barriers to achieve what many could not have imagined.'
Samuel Lim and his family celebrated his master's degree graduation with a road trip in Melbourne in December 2024. - Photo courtesy of Samuel Lim's family
Prof Goh also highlighted the unwavering support from Samuel's family at every stage of life, which showed how love and a strong community can play a vital role in a person's well-being and ability to overcome adversity.
Even in his final hours, Samuel's strength did not waver.
'He fought till the end,' said Tan.
'Just hours before his condition turned, he was walking around the hospital full of life.
'He was determined to live and he refused to let go,' she added.
'I told him... if he needs to go, we will let him go. We want him to be able to leave peacefully.'
Samuel will be cremated at Mandai Crematorium on Wednesday (July 2). - The Straits Times/ANN