Ex-SIA cabin crew dies after fracturing ankle in fall, was in coma for 1 week
A freak fall before a zebra crossing along Thomson Road turned fatal for a former Singapore Airlines (SIA) cabin crew, who ended up in a coma for a week after undergoing surgery.
In an Instagram post on Thursday (9 July), a friend of the deceased paid tribute to her buddy, saying she missed her “so much”.
Source: @magdalenetaychien on Instagram
Ex-SIA cabin crew fell before zebra crossing in Thomson
Ms Magdalene Tay, also a former SIA cabin crew, explained in a second post how her friend Venie had died.
She had fallen before a zebra crossing at the junction of Thomson Road and Balestier Road, “a fall that could happen to anyone of us”, she said.
Source: @magdalenetaychien on Instagram
She underwent a straightforward surgery, and was well enough afterwards to jokingly post that while others get tattoos, she got “new body parts”.
Source: @magdalenetaychien on Instagram
She collapsed & passed away despite 2 hours of resuscitation
But before she was supposed to be discharged, her discharge was extended by one day.
She collapsed that night after complaining of breathlessness, Ms Tay said.
Her heart stopped, and she was “gone” despite medical staff trying to resuscitate her for two hours, she lamented, adding:
CT scan later revealed that her lungs were filled with blood clots hence it caused the heart to stop.
Source: @magdalenetaychien on Instagram
She slipped & fell as pavement was slippery
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Venie’s younger sister Huang Shuzhen (transliterated from Mandarin) said her sister worked as a cabin crew for 10 years before joining the healthcare sector.
She had worked for Thomson Medical Centre as a manager for two years.
On 22 June, she was returning to the hospital after having lunch with colleagues when she slipped and fell while trying to cross the road.
The pavement was wet and slippery at the time as it had recently rained, she added.
Source: Google Maps
She underwent surgery due to ankle fracture
Venie’s colleagues helped her back to the hospital for a check-up, where she was diagnosed with a fracture of her left ankle.
Her staying in hospital overnight, she was discharged to allow the swelling to subside.
She was readmitted to hospital on 29 June and underwent surgery at 4am the next morning.
Source: @magdalenetaychien on Instagram
She was in good spirits, but went into cardiac arrest hours later
After Venie’s surgery, she appeared to be in excellent condition was to be discharged on 1 July.
But as she still felt pain, she decided to remain warded till 2 July.
At 11.40pm, she was in good spirits, her sister recalled.
But at 1am on 2 July, the hospital called the family to rush down, saying she had gone into cardiac arrest.
They performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on her for two hours, even bringing in an Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) from another hospital.
Ex-SIA cabin crew dies after falling into a coma
Venie proceeded to fall into a coma and was transferred to Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.
According to tests, one of her lungs was almost entirely blocked with blood clots, while about a third of the other lung was also affected.
Doctors could only treat her with anticoagulants, but this caused bleeding in her abdomen and colon.
Eventually, they told the family that Venie’s brain was no longer responsive and her chances of recovery were virtually zero.
The family thus made the painful decision to pull the plug on 9 July, staying with her during her final moments.
She never woke up from her coma, her sister said.
‘Full house’ at ‘heart-wrenching’ wake
On Saturday (11 July), Ms Tay posted on Instagram about her friend’s wake, saying it was “full house”.
She had touched people with her sincerity and kindness, and they came together to share so many good things about her, she added.
Source: @magdalenetaychien on Instagram
But, in an Instagram Story on Sunday (12 July), she also described the send-off as “heart-wrenching”, as she saw Venie’s family having to say farewell to her.
Among them was her 77-year-old father, who cried “so badly”, she added.
Source: @magdalenetaychien on Instagram
“My heart broke… Her parents and her family members don’t have to go through this,” she lamented.
Also read: ‘Thank you for loving me’: HR manager in S’pore who died from cancer leaves final LinkedIn post
‘Thank you for loving me’: HR manager in S’pore who died from cancer leaves final LinkedIn post
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Featured image adapted from @magdalenetaychien on Instagram.
