M'sian In SG Suffers A Stroke & Wakes Up From Coma With No Memory Of His Wife & Children
The father of two collapsed on a sidewalk in Singapore on 18 April. He was comatose for about a week before waking up with loss of memory.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 06 May 2021, 12:35 PM
A 34-year-old Malaysian in Singapore needs help with funds for his medical bills for a stroke that resulted in coma and memory loss, making him unable to recognise his wife and two children
The man has been identified as Ng Aik Lep, also known as Alex.
According to fundraising and donation platform GIVE.asia, Ng has been working in Singapore for the past 12 years.
Prior to that, his wife joined him to work in Singapore as well, but she returned to Malaysia after their first child was born five years ago. Today, the couple share two children aged two and five.
Ng is the sole breadwinner of the family.
His wife, known only as Liu, began to worry about Ng when he suddenly became unreachable on 18 April
Liu told Lianhe Wanbao that Ng had been feeling unwell since early April. Early consultations with doctors could not determine the cause, which prompted Liu to convince Ng to go for a full-body check-up.
Before losing contact that day, Ng went to a hospital for the said physical examination. Ng was heading home when Liu lost contact with her husband.
It is learnt that Liu used to call Ng daily via FaceTime or WhatsApp so that he could talk to his children.
"The wife contacted several of his friends in Singapore, but none of them had heard from Alex and they even put up a notice on Facebook to look for Alex," the message on GIVE.asia reads.
"One of Alex's [friends] eventually contacted the police hotline after 24 hours to file for [a] missing person, and the police eventually notified them that Alex was found in [Khoo Teck Puat] Hospital."
The police informed Ng's friend that he was found collapsed on a sidewalk, with his phone and wallet stolen. Hence, the authorities could not immediately contact his family.
As of writing, Ng still cannot recognise his wife and two children. But his eldest brother related that Ng has begun to respond to people whom he is familiar with, such as his siblings.
Ng was in a coma for about a week after his surgery. When he first woke up, Sin Chew Daily reported that Ng could not recognise any of his family members. He was also suffering from some hearing problems and was slow to respond.
It is said that his family members had to write on a whiteboard to communicate with him.
Liu, who choked up while speaking to reporters, said, "He is like a child. His eating movements are not very smooth, and he needs someone to take care of him."
Liu described her husband as a 'workaholic', someone who often brought work home. She said Ng works as an aluminium product designer.
"We made video calls every day. He would take (work) home to draw at night. Then, he would video call and chat with us while working. We often talked until twelve or one in the morning," Liu shared.
"When my children and I were ready to go to bed, he would continue to draw pictures. There are old and young ones at home, and our youngest child is only two years old. We are all dependent on him, so I understand that he is in a tight spot and I love him very much."
Ng's family is planning to bring him back to Malaysia in an attempt to reduce the cost of medical bills
Sin Chew Daily reported yesterday, 5 May, that Ng's condition has improved.
Liu said that the current medical expenses have exceeded SGD60,000 (about RM185,000) and may continue to increase.
She added that she plans to learn baking from her sister-in-law so that she can sell cakes to make some money to pay for Ng's medical expenses. It is learnt that Ng's insurance given by his company covers at most SGD15,000 (about RM46,200).
Although there are kind members of the public who donated money on GIVE.asia, Liu lamented that the financial situation of the family is still not healthy. Thus, she hopes to bring her husband back to Malaysia as soon as possible.
As of today, 6 May, donors have raised over SGD70,278 (about RM217,600) on GIVE.asia.
You can donate as well on the website here.
Ng can be seen moving with childlike behaviour during a video call with non-governmental organisation (NGO) Giveasia Kindness and his family.
Image via GIVE.asia