I read a report in The New Paper today which was truly heart-breaking.
National athletics coach Tang Ngai Kin’s 15-year-old son, Andre, passed away on Sunday night from a heart condition. The Anglo-Chinese School Barker Road student had hypoplastic left heart syndrome – in other words, only the right side of his heart was formed.
Andre had the condition since birth.
According to the report, before Andre was born, doctors told Ngai Kin and his wife that his son had a very slim chance of surviving. However, both parents decided to give Andre that chance, and he repaid their faith by surviving for 15 years.
Andre was their eldest child. They have two daughters – Andreana, 13, and Andrea, 10.
However, Andre was usually too weak to take part in physical activities but he showed a gift for painting, as paintings published in The New Paper indicate. Since last September, he had been attending school for only two hours a day because of his weak condition.
The report describes Andre as charming, cheerful, immaculate and the peacemaker in the family. Clearly, his stoic approach towards his medical condition and his acceptance that he could die at any time also showed a maturity beyond his years.
“Don’t be sad. If I go, I’ll be well taken care of by God,” he once told his parents. “Anyway, I will be around. I’ll be an angel looking around.”
Andre is at rest at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Upper Thomson Road. He will be cremated in his school uniform because he was apparently very proud of his school. The funeral will be held on Friday.
Said Ngai Kin in the report: ” Life is like a 100m race. Only when the race ends can we know who is the winner. I prayed very, very hard and I was rewarded. He was our miracle child.
“Throughout his life, we’ve been through countless obstacles, ups ad downs. And he has really fought the good fight.”
The Singapore Sports Fan would like to extend his deepest condolences to Ngai Kin and his family. My prayers are with you, and as a parent, I feel your pain.
May the Good Lord be your guiding light and provide you strength durin this sad period, and may you always be filled with happy memories of Andre.
Yours in sport
Singapore Sports Fan
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