Living with an incurable condition passed down through three generations

From left : Singaporeans Eugene, 26 and Angie Lim,25 . They are siblings who inherited neurofibromatosis (NF), a genetic condition where tumours grow on nerves, from their late mother, who died from it. A parent with NF has a 50% chance of passing it onto their child and the tumours can sometimes occur in large amounts across the body. In line with World Neurofibromatosis Awareness Day on May 17, the siblings talk about what it feels like to live with NF.

Neurofibromatosis shows up on siblings Eugene and Angie Lim as brown patches, as well as lumps on or under the skin.

ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

Venessa Lee

SINGAPORE – Siblings Eugene and Angie Lim, who are in their 20s, inherited an incurable disease from their mother.

At least three generations of their family have been affected by the genetic condition neurofibromatosis (NF), which causes multiple tumours to form on nerve tissue. While many sufferers have mild symptoms, there is a small risk of some tumours becoming cancerous.

See more on

Diseases

Families

Siblings