23-Year-Old Singaporean Dies From Deadly Infection He Thought Was Flu

You might wonder if it’s really necessary to visit the doctor when you come down with the flu.

You know, since there’s almost always medicine at home and it doesn’t exactly stop you from going about your daily routine.

You’ll probably just tell yourself that it will go away within a few days or maybe about a week.

Okay and, let’s be real, it’s also because you want to save money.

Well, next time, don’t make that mistake. Because what you think is the flu, could actually be a deadly infection that can kill you.

I bet you weren’t expecting that.

Well, I’m not kidding.

23-Year-Old Man Dies from Deadly Infection

That’s exactly what happened to a 23-year-old swimming instructor, Benedict James Naden Lim.

Mr Naden fell sick in June and assumed that his cough and fever symptoms simply just meant that he had come down with the common flu. Like any other people, he didn’t think too much of it.

He still paid a visit to the doctor, just in case, and everything seemed to be fine.

However, what he didn’t know was that his symptoms were those of the Epstein-Barr virus, which ended up triggering a rare immune disorder known as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

Mr Naden was then hospitalised and three weeks later, he was also diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma, which is a rare type of cancer.

He passed away last Sunday afternoon, on 1 September, two and a half months after he had first fallen ill in June.

He was a student at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) and was supposed to graduate in May 2020.

His father, Mr. Benjamin Naden, 52, told The Straits Times that the scans and tests conducted by the hospital found that his organs, including his liver and kidneys, were deteriorating and there was also water found in his lungs.

Mr Naden, who taught young children at the aquatic club where he learned to swim, still felt that he could fight it.

He seemed to be on the path to recovery at first, as his organ functions were starting to stabilise and his blood test results were improving. However, he had a relapse not too long after that, and his brain and heart were observed to be weakening.

His Father Urged the Public to Donate Blood

His father turned to social media for help after Mr Naden suffered a seizure and bleeding in his brain last Saturday, on 31 August.

He asked the public to donate blood to the national blood bank, and according to The Straits Times, said, “(Calling for blood donation) was not just for my son, it’s also for the general public.”

He also revealed that his son’s medical bill hit up to S$400,000 in just two months.

The family of 4, including Mr Naden’s parents and sister, were very close and they had even planned to visit Osaka around Christmas, as it was “on his bucket list”.

“I guess now, we owe him a trip,” said his father.

Mr Naden’s wake was held at St Joseph’s Church in Upper Bukit Timah Road, and the cremation will take place today, on 4 September, at Mandai Crematorium.

The family plans to donate the money collected at the wake to a charity in his name.