ST Medical Mysteries

Medical Mysteries

Singer’s rare benign spinal tumour kept at bay with proton beam therapy

Hasyima Yusof (right) with her husband, Jaime Cruz, at the National Cancer Centre Singapore on July 21. Hasyima had spinal ependymoma, a very rare tumour that develops from the cells lining the spinal cord.

Medical Mysteries

Dad overhauls his lifestyle to become a living liver donor for his toddler with rare condition

Service staff Noel Joshua Selvanathan with his son Isaiah Luiz Noel, who was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Alagille Syndrome.

Medical Mysteries

When back pain turns out to be cancer – and something more

Cancer survivor Ranald Lai, who has also Li-Fraumeni syndrome - a rare genetic disorder that increases a person’s cancer risks - with his doctor, senior medical oncologist Valerie Yang.

Medical Mysteries

Two brothers diagnosed with Sanfilippo syndrome, a rare disorder dubbed ‘childhood dementia’

Matthew Leong, 29, was diagnosed with Sanfilippo syndrome, a rare rare and brutal disorder that’s dubbed “childhood dementia”. His mother Sharmaine Lau, 58, had been by his side, taking care of him for over 20 years.

Medical Mysteries

Wired for relief: Man gets electrical pulses in spine to block pain from rare, debilitating condition

Strolling around the grounds of Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) with his doctors (left) Low Shiong Wen, who heads the Neurosurgery, and anesthetist Harinda Goonesekera (right). Slow walk was something Arshad could not do two years ago.

Medical Mysteries

Toddler’s rare diagnosis gives family answers to her developmental delays

Three-year-old Tabitha Lowe is diagnosed with Okur-Chung Neurodevelopmental Syndrome (OCNDS), a rare condition first identified in 2016. She is blowing bubbles with her father Joshua Lowe, 35, mother Tiffany Tan, 34, and younger brother Judah, one.

Medical Mysteries

Half her vision went dark. It was not an eye problem but her nervous system under attack

Madam Tan Lee Chern and her son Mr Lee Rui Xuan. Madam Tan was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).

Medical Mysteries

Couple prepared their 7 children for the arrival of their ‘special sister’

Video producer Eu-jin Lim and his wife Eunice Wong with their children, (from left) Ethan, 12; Eusebius, four; Ezekiel, seven; Emmanuel, six; Eva, 15 months; Esther, two; Evron, nine; and Elijah, 10.

Medical Mysteries

Diarrhoea, sinus infections for a year: Living with invisible conditions

(From left) Software engineer Jerry Tan, 41, and Administrator, Brian Chan, 30, were diagnosed with primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) late in life, making it difficult as symptoms are often mistaken for common, non-related illnesses such as the flu or food poisoning.

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.