News

S’pore’s Oldest COVID-19 Survivor Passes Away At The Age Of 103

2021-09-21 , 12:07 pm

It’s a great feat in itself to have lived over a century while making the most out of one’s life.

And it’s another to have lived through a world war and two pandemics, triumphing over the virus.

Singapore’s oldest COVID-19 patient made news back in May 2020 after being infected with the COVID-19 virus at a ripe old age of 102 and living through it to tell the tale.

Unfortunately, a year after her full recovery, Madam Yap Lay Hong succumbed to other illnesses and has since passed away.

Oldest COVID-19 Survivor In Singapore Passes Away

On 12 September, after complaining of stomach pains, Madam Yap was sent to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital and warded.

It turned out that Madam Yap was suffering from intestinal obstruction after a CT scan was conducted, which caused the stomach pain, her second son Alan Ho told The Straits Times.

Although she required surgery to recover from it, doctors advised that it was risky as success rates were low, and she was likely to still suffer after the surgery.

Hence, the family decided against proceeding with the surgery and hoped that the obstruction would clear on its own after placing her on a drip instead.

Madam Yap remained in the hospital for a week, with family members including her grandchildren occasionally visiting her.

“She was always asking for one of her grandsons and he visited her two to three times. She didn’t respond much as she was sedated, but she would open her eyes to see who visited her,” said Mr Ho, a 73-year-old retiree.

Unfortunately, in the wee hours of Sunday, 19 September 2021, Madam Yap passed away.

She may not have felt too much pain or suffering before her death due to heavy sedation – to which Mr Ho said that it was a blessing.

Lived A Full Life

Mr Ho is but one of Madam Ho’s children.

She left behind two sons, two daughters, 11 grandchildren, and 13 grandchildren when she passed.

Her first and eldest son, along with her husband, have both already passed on.

Madam Yap was still very lively whenever he visited her at the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home in Thomson where she resided in, as was the case a week before her hospitalisation, Mr Ho reminisced.

Whenever he visited, he would buy her durians – her favourite fruit – or durian puffs, which was at least once a week before the pandemic hit.

Her death came as a surprise to the family as she had always been healthy.

A Pandemic Baby

Madam Yap was born in September 1918, and although there was no official birth date specified on her NRIC, the family would celebrate her birthday every year in that month.

She happened to be a pandemic baby – back then, the Spanish flu was raging on, with over 2,800 deaths from it recorded in Singapore.

Mr Ho remembers his mother as a strong woman who has been through a lot of hardships which she always overcame, including her worst experience after being infected with the COVID-19 virus.

She also stayed strong through World War 2 and the Bukit Ho Swee fire.

When Mr Ho was young, he recalled Madam Yap making kueh and cookies to support the family when they did not have much money.

He also quipped that she has visited more countries than he did, having been to Australia, England, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia.

“In between those hardships, she managed to find her own happiness,” he said.

Remained Independent At The Home

At the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home, Madam Yap was apparently a “fiercely independent” individual who would feed herself and didn’t require any help, wanting to do things on her own.

Ms Selvii, a nurse manager at the home, said that Madam Yap always made sure she looked neat and presentable and took good care of herself.

Madam Yap first got infected with the COVID-19 virus following an outbreak in the home itself, being one of 15 residents and staff who had caught it then.

May Madam Yap rest in peace.