Actress Lina Ng plays 'doctor' at son's medicine faculty ceremony
However, on Aug 14, the 51-year-old finally got to be "Dr Ng" for a few moments. And no, it was not for a drama.
It was at the white coat ceremony of her second son, Joel, who has been accepted into the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The ceremony was when the NUS Medicine Class of 2030 donned their first white coats and pledged to serve with integrity and compassion. The presentation of white coats by faculty to the students symbolise their taking on the mantle of a doctor in training, guided by the principles and responsibilities of their future profession.
Ng is married to former national bowler Mike Lam, in his 50s, and they have three sons - Jeriel, 21; Joel, 19; and Samuel, 14.
In a video posted by her on Instagram, In the middle of posing for photos at the event, Joel, who was dressed in the coat, removed the garment and placed it on his mother, who began beaming from ear to ear.
In the middle of posing for photos at the event, Joel, who was dressed in the coat, removed the garment and placed it on his mother, who began beaming from ear to ear. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM INSTAGRAM VIDEO
Ng said in the video: "Wow, I always wanted to be a doctor, but it never came to pass. I have never been a doctor in my shows (too)."
She added the caption: "It was once my childhood dream to be a doctor. For a few precious minutes, he (Joel) made my dream come true. So sweet of him."
She added the hashtags #heremembered, #dreamcomestrue and #mydearson.
Fellow actors posted congratulatory messages in the comments section. Priscelia Chan said: "So sweet! So happy for you and your family sis!"
Hong Huifang wrote: "Such a touching scene. Bliss." Huang Biren said: "So happy for you and hubby".
Ng entered show business after finishing as the first runner-up in local talent competition Star Search in 1993.
Since then, she has played a range of characters, such as a radio announcer in the Channel 8 sitcom Right Frequency (1998) and a housekeeper in the English-language series Last Madame (2019).
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