Former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has shared a heartfelt tribute to his sister, recalling her childhood, career, and unwavering spirit following her death early this morning (9 Oct).
Dr Lee Wei Ling, who was three years younger than Mr Lee, passed away at age 69 after a long battle with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurological disorder.
They are the children of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, along with their brother Lee Hsien Yang.
In his poignant post, Mr Lee Hsien Loong shared memories from their early years, noting that he always felt a strong sense of responsibility towards his younger sister.
He recalled comforting her on her first day of kindergarten, where she cried all the way home on the school bus.
Described as a bright and determined student, she eventually excelled in school. She was given a double promotion to Primary Three by the end of Primary One, and went on to win a President’s Scholarship.
Dr Lee adored animals, so much so that she originally aspired to become a veterinarian, Mr Lee recounted. However, their parents encouraged her to pursue medicine instead, explaining that a veterinarian’s duties might involve much more than caring for pets.
She heeded their advice, going on to top her class at the University of Singapore (now the National University of Singapore) and receiving a Gold Medal for her achievements.
She eventually became a paediatric neurologist, specialising in epilepsy. “She brought to medicine the same intensity and commitment she did to everything,” Mr Lee said, adding that she developed close bonds with her patients.
Pointing out that she was always the “doctor in the family”, Dr Lee was whom they would always consult when a medical problem arose, big or small, he shared.
Mr Lee recalled an occasion at a family lunch when she diagnosed appendicitis in one of her nephews, later proven correct. She also paid close attention to Mr Lee’s treatment and progress when he had lymphoma.
He added:
Ling’s personality and character remained unchanged throughout her life. She was fiercely loyal to friends, sympathised instinctively with the underdog, and would mobilise actively to do something when she saw unfairness, or suspected wrongdoing. She was a fighter.
Mr Lee said his father had tasked him to take care of his mother and siblings years ago when he was just 13, when the late Mr Lee had felt his life was in danger.
Briefly touching on their highly publicised feud over the Oxley Road property, he added: “Sadly, after he passed away in 2015, a shadow fell between my siblings and me, and I was unable to fulfil his wish. But I held nothing against Ling, and continued to do whatever I could to ensure her welfare.”
After she got diagnosed with her disease, she “took it with her usual fortitude and stoicism”.
She had known what it meant, and made the most of the time she had even as her health declined, he added.
“Now she has left us. I will deeply miss Ling. May she rest in peace.”
Also read: Lee Wei Ling Diagnosed With Rare Brain Disorder, Wishes It’s A Nightmare She’ll Wake Up From
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Featured image adapted from Sammyboy and Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook.
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