Woman In Singapore Passes Away From Breast Cancer On Mother’s Day
For most families, Mother’s Day is a time to get together and celebrate their love for the important women in their lives.
Sadly, for two young boys, it will now be known as the death anniversary of their beloved mother instead.
After battling breast cancer for nearly two years, Ms Liang Yiwan (name transliterated from Mandarin) passed away at the age of 37.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The former doctor leaves behind her parents, husband, and two sons aged two and six years old respectively.
Diagnosed with cancer after giving birth to second child
Born and raised in Malaysia, Ms Liang came to Singapore 10 years ago to work as a general practitioner (GP) at StarMed Specialist Centre.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
A few months after delivering her second child in 2021, Ms Liang discovered a lump in her breast, Shin Min Daily News reported.
She also experienced aches in her bones and muscles, and suffered a rash.
Not long afterwards, she was diagnosed with not only Stage 3 breast cancer, but also dermatomyositis.
The latter is a rare disease that causes muscle inflammation and skin rash, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Ms Liang’s husband Mr Yao Wenjian (transliterated from Mandarin) said the diagnosis devastated their entire family. However, his wife put on a strong front.
She started going for treatment shortly after that, opting for both surgery and chemotherapy.
Woman’s husband & friend shaved head bald in solidarity with her
Chemotherapy normally results in hair loss, but Ms Liang decided to get ahead of it by shaving off all her hair prior to treatment.
As an act of solidarity, her husband and her good friend went bald together with her.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
“When my son saw that his mother was bald, he even told her that she still looked very beautiful without hair,” Mr Yao shared.
While battling cancer, Ms Liang had explained to their son what she was going through in hopes that he would understand.
Mr Yao said that after Ms Liang passed on, their son had thought that she would return.
However, when he realised that was not going to happen, he became extremely sad and needed time to process the loss.
Documented cancer journey on social media
In the process of her treatment, Ms Liang documented her battle with cancer via Instagram.
There, she advocated for early detection so that those who get diagnosed may receive treatment as soon as possible.
She also utilised the platform to motivate others like her. At one point, she reportedly shared that chemotherapy is not as scary as one may think.
At the end of 2022, Ms Liang posted photos of a trip she took to Japan with her family.
The vacation was apparently their way of making more memories, as her cancer had progressed to Stage 4 by then and she knew she did not have long.
Revealing that his wife caught Covid-19 twice during her battle, Mr Yao said that she never showed when she was in pain.
“She even taught me how to be a better doctor,” he told Shin Min Daily News.
Regretted not being able to care for parents & see sons grow up
As the only child, Ms Liang’s greatest regret was passing away before her parents.
It also saddened her that she would not be able to see their sons grow up and get married, Mr Yao shared.
Furthermore, they would never be able to grow old together.
“Nonetheless, I promised her that I would help her take care of her parents and our kids,” he vowed.
After Ms Liang’s diagnosis, her mother moved to Singapore to care for her.
When interviewed by Shin Min Daily News, 69-year-old Madam Qiu Yifeng (name transliterated from Mandarin) said that her husband would also go back and forth between Malaysia and Singapore to visit their daughter in the hospital.
Able to celebrate one last Mother’s Day before succumbing to cancer
Last Saturday (13 May), Madam Qiu brought her daughter home after the latter expressed that she did not wish to die in the hospital.
During that time, Ms Liang supposedly instructed her to keep the funeral a simple affair.
After her return home, her sons gave Ms Liang an early Mother’s Day celebration by gifting her a card, flowers, and biscuits.
The next day (14 May) on Mother’s Day itself, she succumbed to her cancer.
Her funeral was held at Lengkong Lima, and she was laid to rest yesterday afternoon (18 May).
MS News expresses our deepest condolences to her loved ones. May she rest in peace.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
