Second chances: They live life to the fullest after major illness
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
(From left) Ms Vivian Chee, Ms Devika S.P. Maruthanayagam and Mr Wee He Sheng live their lives to the fullest after major illnesses.
PHOTOS: MARK CHEONG, VJOHN, ARIFFIN JAMAR
SINGAPORE – When a major illness strikes, some people never fully recover. And then there are others who, through luck, genes, grit or a mix of everything, make every day count.
They may not always be as strong as they used to be physically, but they do not give in to self-pity or victimhood. They seize opportunities, grateful to be alive each day.
Meet three people who are not defined by their medical diagnoses.
One does triathlons and Hyrox races even though she has only half her lung capacity after battling colon cancer and undergoing three lung operations. Another is a Parkinson’s patient who joined a beauty contest to show others that there is life beyond the disease, while a third continues to play and promote the sport of golf despite four cardiac arrests by the age of 32.
Here are their inspiring journeys.
Cancer mum does Hyrox and triathlons with half her lung capacity
Cancer survivor Vivian Chee plans to do an Ironman race in Western Australia in December 2026.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Ms Vivian Chee started 2026 by clocking 22km in a nature run in Melaka in early January.
She had ended 2025 by completing her first Hyrox fitness race here in the women’s singles category in November, as well as a couple of other endurance races.
These are commendable feats for any 57-year-old, but what makes her story extraordinary is that she achieved them with only half her lung capacity, after battling colon cancer and undergoing three lung operations since 2020.
Mum, 54, with Parkinson’s joins beauty pageant to show strength and self-love
Ms Devika S.P. Maruthanayagam was a semi-finalist in the Miss & Mrs ASEAN beauty pageant.
PHOTO: VJOHN
Ms Devika S.P. Maruthanayagam sparkles in her red-and-white sequinned gown, her cropped hair framing large brown eyes and high cheekbones.
The 54-year-old Singaporean semi-finalist of Miss & Mrs ASEAN 2026 looks every inch the beauty pageant contestant, but her winsome smile hides the almost-constant pain she grapples with as someone with Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s is characterised by muscle stiffness and tremors, challenges with movement or the lack of it, as well as difficulty speaking, among other symptoms. It is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease globally after Alzheimer’s. There is no cure.
He had 4 cardiac arrests by age 32, now wants to share his love of golf
Mr Wee He Sheng helps to organise monthly golf games in Johor Bahru and weekly sessions at driving ranges.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
The year 2019 had just begun when Mr Wee He Sheng’s heart stopped in January. He was 28 at the time.
Mr Wee, who had been volunteering at the 2019 SMBC Singapore Open at the Sentosa Golf Club, had finished his duties and was trying out a golf simulator at the event in the afternoon when it happened.
The Singaporean was preparing to take his sixth shot when he suddenly felt unwell and collapsed. When he woke up, he found himself in the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
