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New Paper
02-07-2025
- Health
- New Paper
'If he needs to go, we will let him go': Man who survived acid attack as a baby dies at 26
Few had expected Mr 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 Mr Lim defied every medical prognosis and lived on. Despite severe damage to his vocal cords and tongue, Mr Lim 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, Mr Lim was diagnosed with nose cancer. He died on June 28 at the age of 26. Mr Lim is survived by his parents, Mr Lim Boon Keong and Madam Tan Poh Ling, both in their early 50s, as well as a 20-year-old sister and a 23-year-old brother. "We were told he had stage 4 cancer," Mr Lim's father told The Straits Times. "But in his final week, he looked fine. He said he didn't feel any pain. He wanted to live." Madam Tan said that despite the diagnosis, Mr Lim remained hopeful. He had received his first chemotherapy treatment three days before his death and had expressed his hope to return to work. Mr Lim'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, Mr Lim's parents, who were engineers in the family business, had left him in his grandmother's flat. His parents' helper Latifah was in the kitchen, while Mr Lim, 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 Mr Lim's mouth, as she was jealous of Ms Latifah and wanted to get her into trouble. Ms Sumiyem was later jailed for eight years. The attack caused severe injuries to Mr Lim'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," Mr Lim told ST in 2012, referring to his attacker. Mr Lim 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. Mr Samuel Lim loved music and had studied piano and guzheng. PHOTO: ST FILE 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. Mr Lim'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). Mr Samuel Lim graduated with a master's degree in pathology from the University of Melbourne. PHOTO: COURTESY OF MR SAMUEL LIM'S FAMILY In December 2024, Mr Lim graduated from his master's programme and the family celebrated the occasion with a road trip in Melbourne. On Jan 10, Mr Lim 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 Madam Tan. "He told me that he was also hoping to save up and buy an HDB flat one day." Mr Lim's father added that his son had always wanted to live independently and he was proud to earn his own income. Mr Samuel Lim and his family celebrated his master's degree graduation with a road trip in Melbourne in December 2024. PHOTO: COURTESY OF MR SAMUEL LIM'S FAMILY Mr Lim sought medical attention on May 14 for a nose bleed, and a specialist appointment was scheduled for him in July. But on June 6, Mr Lim 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 Madam Tan. Over the following two weeks, he underwent scans and biopsies, ultimately leading to the diagnosis of stage 4 cancer. Mr Samuel Lim's sister said her brother showed her that "it's not the adversity itself that defines our lives, but how we choose to respond to it". PHOTO: COURTESY OF MR SAMUEL LIM'S FAMILY Even though his stint at Thye Hua Kwan was short, Madam Tan remembered how Mr Lim 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." Mr Lim 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." Prof Goh also highlighted the unwavering support from Mr Lim'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, Mr Lim's strength did not waver. "He fought till the end," said Madam 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." Mr Lim will be cremated at Mandai Crematorium on July 2.


The Star
01-07-2025
- The Star
‘He fought till the end': Singaporean man who survived acid attack as a baby dies of cancer at 26
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

Straits Times
30-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Some 800 seniors in 14 active ageing centres to benefit from new dementia prevention programme
The dementia prevention community programme will be rolled out to 14 active ageing centres by 2029. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Some 800 seniors in 14 active ageing centres to benefit from new dementia prevention programme SINGAPORE – About 800 seniors with mild or no cognitive impairment and their caregivers are set to benefit from a dementia prevention community programme which will be rolled out to 14 active ageing centres (AACs) by 2029. The IMPRESS-MIND2S programme is funded to the tune of about $3 million by the National Innovation Challenge on Active and Confident Ageing grant. It is slated to be piloted at the NTUC Health active ageing centre in Redhill in August 2025 for a start, with 60 seniors benefiting from the programme. The initiative, launched by healthcare cluster SingHealth, was announced by Senior Minister of State for Health Tan Kiat How on May 30 at the SingHealth Community Forum held at Singapore General Hospital. Under the programme, community nurses will use established screening tools like tests to detect those who have mild cognitive impairment and will benefit from the programme. These selected seniors will then receive personalised health coaching to manage dementia risk factors like diet, exercise, stress management and sleep; and have structured physical activity sessions at AACs. Seniors will also use elderly-friendly tablets called SilverPads to play specially designed games to improve their memory and executive function. Their caregivers will also receive education and support – for example, referrals to respite care and caregiver support groups – to lighten caregiver burden. All in, seniors are expected to attend about three sessions at their AACs a week. SingHealth worked with community partners such as Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities, Montfort Care, NTUC Health and Alkin Singapore to co-create the programme. Mr Tan pointed out that based on the second Well-being of the Singapore Elderly study, in 2023, one in 11 seniors aged 60 years and above had dementia. 'This goes beyond another health programme: it is a personalised approach to detecting and delaying cognitive decline, working with seniors who have mild or no cognitive impairment, and their caregivers. ' What makes this approach different from others is how it weaves interventions into daily life, with activities designed to naturally fit into seniors' existing routines,' said Mr Tan. Prof Low Lien Leng, director at SingHealth Centre for Population Health Research and Implementation, said that there is strong evidence that if dementia risk factors are controlled and cognitive function is improved, the risk of developing dementia is lowered. But such measures have not been implemented in the community, and the pilot will offer insights on how that can be done while keeping seniors interested and engaged. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.