Actor Mark Lee and wife 'never regretted' having daughter Calynn, 8, who has rare health condition

Mark Lee and his wife Catherine Ng with their son Maksonn, younger daughter Calynn and older daughter Calista. PHOTO: CATHERINE NG/INSTAGRAM

SINGAPORE - Actor-host Mark Lee's wife Catherine Ng has talked about the journey she went through with her younger daughter Calynn, who was diagnosed in 2018 with glomerulonephritis, a rare condition affecting the kidneys.

Lee, 52, and Ng, 48, have three children - Calista, 13, Maksonn, who turns 10 on Wednesday (Aug 25), and Calynn, who turned eight last Thursday (Aug 19).

In an Instagram post on Saturday, Ng wrote in Chinese: "Our little princess Calynn is eight. Nine years ago, when her brother was more than one year old, we had her unexpectedly.

"Calynn, mum and dad are very happy that you are our child. We have never regretted having you even though we are under lots of pressure due to your illness, with mum even blaming herself for not doing well in some areas and causing you to feel unwell.

"Mum feels heartbroken when she sees you going through the treatments, but I am happy that your condition has improved finally. Mum and dad feel very grateful and relieved seeing you growing up healthy every day.

"Happy birthday to you, baby. Nothing matters as long as you are healthy and grow up happily. We love you very much!"

Several local celebrities, including actor Jeremy Chan, actress Xiang Yun and singer Hong Junyang, wished Calynn a happy birthday below Ng's post.

Lee, who was nominated for Best Leading Actor for his role as a drag queen in the film Number 1 (2020) at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards last year, tells The Straits Times in May that Calynn's health condition is now "so far, so good".

He said she still needs to go for regular check-ups and possibly take medication till her teenage years, when her immunity becomes stronger.

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