For 22 years, Jenny Koh, 64, has been depending on her son, who goes by the surname Guo, to help her with her daily tasks and activities.
As her primary caregiver, this even includes helping her to the toilet every morning.
But now, he’s no longer around to do that.
On Monday, (July 18), the 35-year-old man suddenly died in his sleep after vomiting blood, leaving behind his mother, who has deformed feet and muscle atrophy, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Guo was found dead by one of their neighbours, who goes by the surname Huang, 64, at around 7.30 am.
Huang told the Chinese daily that he was watering flowers in front of the pair’s home and had tried to greet Guo whom he thought was fast asleep in the living room.
He soon realised something was amiss when Guo did not respond.
“When I used to greet him, he would tell me to be quiet, saying that his mother was still sleeping. However, yesterday, I called him more than 10 times and no one answered.
“I then looked into the living room and saw that his eyes were squinting at the ceiling, and there was blood in his mouth. As there was no response, I immediately called an ambulance,” said Huang.
His sudden death has left his mother in a state of grief and confusion.
After all, aside from being on antidepressants, her son’s health had been fine all along, Koh said to Shin Min.
Koh, who lived together with her son in a one-bedroom HDB rental flat in Marsiling, shared that she’s at loss at what to do now and that she only has $6 left in her bank account.
“He loves his mother very much. I have difficulty moving. I rely on him to help me pee and poop every morning. Now that he is gone, I am really heartbroken. What should I do in the future?” she said in Chinese, sobbing during the interview.
Koh also told the Chinese daily that the day before her son died, they had gone for a shopping trip together for an upcoming Buddhist occasion.
The last time she saw him was before they went to bed.
“He only had time to say goodnight to me,” she shared.
SCDF told Shin Min Daily News that it was notified about the incident at 7.35 pm on Monday (July 18) and a person was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a Facebook post yesterday (July 18), Zaqy Mohamad, MP of Marsiling GRC, said that the Marsiling community and various agencies, including the Social Service Office and the CDC, are providing help and assistance to her during this period.
He posted that they have also helped her with the funeral arrangements for her late son.
“We are grateful that her neighbours have also stepped forward to lend her immediate support and care,” he wrote.
He also added that they are looking at other sustained support arrangements for her, including social support.
Additionally, the social organisation Mummy Yummy Singapore is helping out with some of the finances for the funeral as well. They shared that the funeral setup was paid for by a Buddhist devotee, who wishes to stay anonymous.
They said they also plan on offering Koh daily meals so that she “has one less problem to worry [about]”.
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
