Sometime in 2020, Kate Tan found herself on the ground crying, asking herself if she should take her life that day.

It was probably her darkest moment, she said.

Today, the 38-year-old has a new battle: Stage 4 cancer.

But she is happier than she has ever been, and refuses to accept her diagnosis as a "death sentence".

"Every day is a gift," she said. "It's about… life getting 1 per cent better, every day."

How did this happen?

History of depression

Her first major encounter with depression came as a first-year undergraduate business student at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

"I looked like I was doing okay on the outside, but on the inside, [it] was pretty bad," she said.

She described depression as a "dark cloud hanging over [her]", which "just doesn't go away".

She was staying in university hall at the time, and although she did have good friends, she felt a persistent, deep-seated loneliness.

"I had really bad insomnia, so I wouldn't sleep for three to four days in a row...

I tried to OD (overdose) on Panadol once. But luckily I threw everything up."

Rock bottom

After that episode, she sought help and began taking antidepressants.

For a while, she stabilised. But then, during Covid-19, her husband and partner of 11 years suddenly disappeared.

"Nobody knew where he went," she said.

It was only later she learnt that he had borrowed money from loan sharks. They even showed up at her door.

"I didn't tell my parents, I didn't tell my friends because it was really, really shameful for me," she said.

Due to social distancing restrictions, people weren't meeting up. She'd just quit her job, had to deal with the loss of her partner, and felt "isolated" in her grief.

And then one day, she was on the ground crying. "I was like 'Should I just take my life today?'" she recounted.

"Because it was really hard for me... I felt all alone."

Grounded despite pain

Tan gives credit to her faith for grounding her despite her pain.

On the day she contemplated ending her life, she remembers feeling "someone hug [her]" while she was on the ground.

"I was like, okay, this person up there has got my back... [so] I'll just keep going," she said.

As it turns out, that would not be her last brush with death.

A year ago, Tan was diagnosed with stage 4 rectal cancer.

Blood in her stools

The first warning sign? Blood in her stools.

"I didn’t think it was that serious," the Fashion For Cancer (FFC) ambassador said in a Jul. 31 Instagram post, adding that she also experienced bloating and fatigue.

Despite observing that the bleeding occurred regularly, she chalked it up to stress and a busy schedule, telling herself it was "just haemorrhoids".

But when she finally got it checked six months later, she was told that a tumour had been found in her rectum. She had cancer.

She remembers how her mother, who was with her, was "devastated" at the news.

"She just started crying... and continued crying for the next few days...

I remember she was waiting outside [during a scan], and I peeped out [of the machine] and she was just sitting there crying."

Fighting for her life

Tan never expected that years after not wanting to live, she would end up having to fight for her life with a stage 4 rectal cancer diagnosis.

Apart from being painful, it was a long and expensive battle, costing over S$200,000 in total. 

In less than five days, she met with a surgeon, sought a second opinion, and consulted three oncologists and two other cancer specialists.

She then went through five rounds of chemotherapy and 30 days of targeted radiotherapy, before going through surgery to remove the tumour and 10cm of her rectum.

That was not the end of it.

After the surgery, Tan had to live with a temporary stoma bag for six months.

She also had to receive more radiotherapy on her right lung as the cancer had spread there, and another three rounds of chemotherapy.

After each cycle of chemo, Tan would usually be bed-bound for about a week, unable to move her hand because the drugs had damaged her veins.

"I think that's the hardest part... the physical pain," she said.

Zero-day plan

Despite the struggle of physical and mental pain, she considers the past year "the best year of [her] life".

"I used to have a five-year plan, and then now I have a zero-day plan," said Tan.

"Today I wake up and I'm like, what should I do today? …What's the impact I want to make?"

She described herself as "self-focused" in the past, often grappling with feelings that her "life sucks".

But when she started looking around her, she realised she had a roof over her head, even amidst her cancer diagnosis.

Tan said: "My family loves me. I've got friends... Every day I wake up, and I'm like, thank you that I'm still breathing."

It takes about four to five years before she will be fully in remission. In the meantime though, she intends to continue living her life to the fullest.

Today, she is pursuing a two-year Masters in Communications at NUS with her best friend.

She will also be participating in a 10km race for cancer in September 2026, and plans to return to rock climbing (which she did regularly before her diagnosis) soon.

Fashion For Cancer ambassador

It's also why she decided to become a FFC ambassador, after the organisation reached out to her.

The show will see her donning an outfit from The Missing Piece and walking the runway during the FFC Charity Fashion Show 2026 on Aug. 29 at The Westin Singapore hotel.

Walking for FFC, admitted Tan, feels "very scary".

"But it also shows that, hey, you know what? ...Even though my body has gone through this, and even though it's not perfect, I'm still gonna walk and show people that you still can do it."

She also wants to share with people that cancer is not a death diagnosis. Tan, herself, certainly hasn't given up.

The best part? Following a recent scan, Tan updated in an Aug. 20 Instagram post that her cancer markers are low and the nodule in her lung is gone.

She told Mothership on Aug. 22: "I'm really relieved with my clear scans, feeling very hopeful and will do my best to rebuild my physical health from scratch.

"My next PET scan is in November, but I'm going to take it one day at a time, and not waste the time that I've been gifted!"

Helplines

If you or someone you know is in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)

National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

The announcement of the government's intention to possibly merge several of Singapore's Western islands, which could include Pulau Semakau, Sudong and Bukom and "a few other smaller islands", has drawn reactions from the local marine community.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong shared during his 2026 National Day Rally that the larger, merged island could provide space for industry and power infrastructure.

He added that these are long-term plans which the government is studying carefully.

Some of the reef habitats in the waters off these Western islands, such as around Pulau Hantu and Semakau, go back about 8,000 years.

Land reclamation in these marine areas will lead to the loss of ecosystem functions such as climate mitigation and ecological connectivity which these habitats provide, one marine researcher said.

However, this loss can be averted if pockets of these habitats can be conserved.

Some reefs about 8,000 years old

Speaking with Mothership, Huang Danwei, Director at the National University of Singapore's National Institute for Marine and Ocean Sciences, shared that the area of interest for the merge comprises "substantial areas of coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangrove forests, making up significant proportions of the total area of these ecosystems in Singapore".

Pulau Hantu sits among the three islands PM Wong mentioned in his speech, while the smaller Pulau Jong is located just off the coast of Semakau.

"What stands out for some of these habitats in the potential reclamation area is that they have persisted and provided ecosystem services for a very long time, some growing and thriving even before modern Singapore was founded," Huang shared.

The reefs around Hantu and Semakau date back to about 8,000 years, and have been serving ecological functions for the communities in Singapore and the surrounding region "when this was a known fishing village", according to Huang.

Some of these functions include providing a source of food and coastal erosion prevention.

Due to the location of these reefs, they also serve as a "transition habitat" between reefs in Southeast Asia.

"Larvae of various species stopover in the ecosystems here, which thus support biodiversity and fisheries at the regional scale," Huang said.

"No mitigation" for the loss of these reefs

Huang also mentioned that these reefs are the "most well-studied reefs in the world", owing to their persistence through years of coastal development and reclamation.

He also said:

"Unfortunately, directly burying them for land reclamation gives them no chance of survival. Such a loss would be irreversible.

It would take another 8,000 years of suitable environmental conditions — and we're not helped by ongoing climate change — to produce such reefs again. We will also lose future ecosystem services apart from regional food security, such as new medicines and materials."

There is "no mitigation" for the loss of these reefs. Transplanted corals "will not come close" to the ecosystem functions and services of the existing reefs, Huang explained.

The loss of these reefs will also affect existing and future research.

Huang suggested that some pockets of natural coral habitats can be protected from reclamation works, and coral fragments transplanted onto adjacent reefs.

"No technology will be able to recover 8000-year-old coral reefs buried by land reclamation," Huang emphasised.

Mothership understands that Minister of State for National Development Alvin Tan is meeting with members of Friends of Marine Park on Monday (Aug. 24).

A form to collect responses and feedback from the community has also been circulating.

Other reactions

Local science content creator Biogirl MJ, who is the host of education platform Just Keep Thinking, also reacted to the news in a Facebook post.

Other marine enthusiasts similarly reacted to the potential loss of the habitats.

Two Thai men, aged 41 and 24, were arrested for allegedly assaulting and abducting a Chinese national in Bangkok, Thailand, and attempting to take her to the Thai-Myanmar border.

The victim apparently jumped out of her abductor’s vehicle to escape and seek help from passersby.

Report

On Aug. 23, at about midnight, local police received a report that a Chinese woman was assaulted on Ratchadamnoen Road, Mueang district, Kamphaeng Phet, The Thaiger and DailyNews reported.

When officers arrived at the scene, they reportedly found the victim injured.

She was conveyed to the local hospital for treatment and a medical examination.

Abduction

Preliminary questioning revealed that the victim was apparently abducted from a hotel in Bangkok by four men.

They purportedly forced her into a car heading towards a border area.

She claimed they tied her hands up with cable ties.

When the vehicle reached Kamphaeng Phet, she apparently escaped by jumping out of the moving car, before running to ask passersby for help.

Pursuit

Local police issued a radio alert to patrol officers to intercept the accused’s vehicles.

A black Nissan Teana with Bangkok licence plates, suspected to be connected to the incident, was later spotted passing through a checkpoint.

The police attempted to stop the vehicle.

However, the driver failed to comply and accelerated away.

Officers pursued the vehicle until it reached Lan Dok Mai subdistrict.

A 41-year-old man and a 24-year-old man, identified as Somkiat and Kittiporn, respectively, were arrested.

Two other individuals fled the scene and escaped pursuing officers.

Local police reportedly said they had identified one of the two fugitives and were searching for him.

Questioning

During questioning, the arrested pair admitted they had picked up the victim, who was carrying a passport, from a hotel in Bangkok.

They apparently attempted to take her to the border between Thailand and Myanmar.

The motives of their alleged actions remain unclear.

Investigations are ongoing.

An American eight-year-old girl died after reportedly contracting a brain-eating amoeba while swimming in Lake Claiborne, Louisiana, United States.

In a Facebook post, her family announced the passing of the girl, identified as Lilian Smart.

Smart died on Aug. 22, a day after celebrating her eighth birthday.

“The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from. Everyone did everything they could to keep her here. We are heartbroken and honestly do not know what to do next.” The caption read.

Naegleria Fowleri

In a press release on Aug. 19, the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed that a Louisiana resident contracted Naegleria Fowleri, often called a brain-eating amoeba.

Local authorities said it is commonly found in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals, and ponds throughout the U.S.

It can cause Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), a brain infection that may result when water containing the amoeba rushes up the nose and reaches the brain.

The infection is apparently rare, but nearly always fatal.

Naegleria fowleri cannot infect people if swallowed and is not spread from person to person.

The amoeba is also not found in salt water or in properly maintained and chlorinated pools.

Symptoms of Naegleria fowleri infection typically start with severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting and progress to stiff neck, seizures, and coma that can lead to death.

Symptoms typically begin about five days after infection, but can start within one to 12 days.

Local authorities added that Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm, fresh water and grows best at higher temperatures up to about 46°C.

The amoeba is naturally occurring, and there is apparently no routine environmental test for Naegleria fowleri in bodies of water in the U.S.

Support

According to KNOE, Smart was the subject of the Louisiana Department of Health’s press release.

She has been hospitalised since Aug. 15.

A fundraiser, “Love for Lilian”, was held on Aug. 21 to celebrate her eighth birthday.

Local shops and restaurants participated in the fundraiser and donated a portion of the day's proceeds to her family.

The local community also wore “Love for Lilian” shirts in support of Smart during the fundraiser.

Local actor Elvin Ng and his mother travelled to Indonesia to reunite with their former domestic helper, Jumiyati, 12 years after she returned to Indonesia.

The reunion took place as part of CNA's programme “On The Red Dot: Finding,” which follows local personalities as they reunite with people who have made an impact on their lives.

Ng and his mother appeared in the second episode of the six-part series, which aired on Aug. 22.

Lost contact after Jumi returned to Indonesia

Jumiyati—or Jumi, as the family calls her—is now 42.

She worked for Ng's family for six years before returning to Indonesia in 2014.

Ng's mother initially kept in touch with her, but they gradually lost contact.

Ng and his mother travelled to Depok, Indonesia, in hopes of finding her.

Ahead of the reunion, Ng wrote on Instagram that 12 years had passed in the blink of an eye.

“Managed to coerce the mum for a maiden appearance on TV for a special mission. It's been 12 years, and a short-like-alarm-clock but sweet-like-pineapple-tart surprise, hopefully,” Ng wrote on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ELVIN NG 黄俊雄 (@elvinngchoonsiong)

Like a younger sister to Ng

Ng shared on the programme that he had a close relationship with Jumi and regarded her as a younger sister, while his mother treated her like a daughter.

Jumi also played a memorable role in Ng's morning routine.

As Ng was not much of a morning person, Jumi would often knock on his door to wake him up for work, earning her the title of his "best alarm clock”.

Pineapple tarts were another reminder of their time together.

Ng, who enjoys the snack, recalled that Jumi’s pineapple tarts were well received among Ng’s colleagues as well.

This time around, Ng and his mother personally made pineapple tarts for Jumi.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ELVIN NG 黄俊雄 (@elvinngchoonsiong)

Surprised Jumi with pineapple tarts

To keep the reunion a surprise, the programme's production team delivered the pineapple tarts to Jumi before Ng and his mother appeared.

Jumi had apparently been under the impression that the crew was filming a programme about former domestic helpers who had worked in Singapore.

Upon seeing a card accompanying the pineapple tarts, Jumi became emotional while eating them.

She told the production team that she missed Ng and his mother.

Ng and his mother then appeared before her, prompting an emotional Jumi to embrace them both.

Supported family after Ng's father died

Jumi's relationship with the family went beyond her household duties.

Ng's father died from a heart condition in 2012, during the period when Jumi was working for the family.

Ng shared that Jumi quietly supported the family through the difficult period.

As Ng had to return to work, Jumi remained at home with his mother and kept her company.

The pair would take walks together from the family's former home in western Singapore to Chinese Garden.

“I think she helped the family tide over that period in a very silent and quiet way,” Ng said, adding that her actions allowed him to return to work knowing his mother had someone by her side.

Kept Ng's gift and family recipes for years

During their reunion, Jumi revealed that she had kept several mementos from her years with the Ng family.

Among them was a branded wallet that Ng had given her, as well as recipes she had written down while working for the family.

Ng was moved by the discovery and admitted that he could no longer remember giving her the wallet.

“I didn’t know that we held such an important place in her heart,” Ng said.

Ng also brought Jumi and her children on a trip to Jakarta during their time in Indonesia, fulfilling one of Jumi's wishes.

A 32-year-old foreign domestic worker in Singapore was sentenced to 17 weeks’ jail on Aug. 24 after she assaulted an elderly woman under her care.

According to a report by The Straits Times (ST), Myanmar national Vei Nei Chong pleaded guilty to one charge of assault in court.

The court heard that Vei Nei Chong and the 83-year-old victim were the only occupants of the flat in Bukit Merah at the time of the incident.

Arguing with boyfriend while drinking

Court documents seen by Mothership stated that the victim has moderate Alzheimer’s disease and was completely dependent on Vei Nei Chong for her basic needs.

In the evening of Jul. 28, Vei Nei Chong was at home with the victim while arguing with her boyfriend over the phone and drinking beer.

She drank two cans of beer and became intoxicated.

At 9:11pm, Vei Nei Chong yelled at the victim, who was lying in bed.

The helper then kicked a chair, causing it to hit the bed.

She continued shouting while kicking the chair.

She then lifted the victim’s metal walking frame over her head and threw it across the flat.

The victim feared for her safety; she tried to leave the house. However, Vei Nei Chong pushed her and slammed the door shut before kicking her in the back.

When the victim tried to leave a second time, the helper grabbed her by the shoulders and flung her to the floor.

The force of the impact caused the victim to hit her head against Vei Nei Chong's bed before falling to the floor, where she lay motionless.

A neighbour who heard the commotion alerted the police, and the victim was subsequently taken by ambulance to Singapore General Hospital.

She suffered wounds to her left arm and leg, as well as a bruise on her scalp.

She was hospitalised for about two weeks.

For assaulting a vulnerable victim, an offender can face a maximum of six years' jail, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.

Former Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim is reportedly in discussions with the National University of Singapore (NUS) to return to academia.

In a statement provided to Mothership on Aug. 24, the university confirmed talks are underway regarding the return.

Before joining politics, Faishal was previously an associate professor in NUS's real estate department.

He made his political debut in the 2006 General Elections and took on various portfolios, most recently serving as a Member of Parliament for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC after winning his contest in the 2025 election.

Faishal, who was also a Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, resigned from politics and as an MP on Jul. 20, after the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) received an email from a female member of the public concerning her interactions with Faishal.

While no criminal offence had been committed by either party, it was questioned whether Faishal's conduct had fallen short of the standards expected of a Political Office Holder and MP.

Faishal was succeeded by Zaqy Mohamad.

A 57-year-old man has died after he was rescued unconscious from a canal in Rochor on the evening of Aug. 23.

According to 8world, the incident first came to public attention after a video uploaded on social media platform Xiaohongshu showed police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vehicles parked along the first and second lanes leading towards the flyover.

The video also showed a blue police tent set up on the first lane, with uniformed personnel standing nearby.

No foul play suspected

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed it was alerted to a water rescue incident along Rochor Canal near Wayang Satu Flyover at around 7:45pm.

Upon arriving, an unconscious person was seen floating in the canal, SCDF said.

Its rescuers then used a ladder to gain access to the canal and brought the person out.

The person was subsequently conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Separately, the police confirmed that the 57-year-old man passed away in the hospital.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.

Police investigations are ongoing.

A 27-year-old man was arrested for allegedly trafficking etomidate vaporiser pods (Kpods) and being involved in unlicensed moneylending activities.

Chan Zhi Hao Felix was charged on Aug. 20 under the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act 1993 (TVCA).

According to The Straits Times, Chan also faces a charge linked to alleged unlicensed moneylending activities under the Moneylenders Act 2008.

Raid

On Aug. 12, Chan was arrested in his rental unit in Marsiling during an operation that targeted members of an unlicensed moneylending syndicate.

Police uncovered more than 300 vaporisers and related components during a search of his unit.

Health Sciences Authority (HSA) officers were alerted and took over the seized items.

HSA subsequently confirmed that 56 vaporisers, 247 vaporiser pods and a vaporiser battery were seized.

Vaped

Chan tested positive for etomidate in an instant urine test and admitted that he had vaped etomidate the night before his arrest.

He was remanded for a week.

Laboratory testing confirmed that the seized pods contain etomidate.

Some of the vaporisers and pods seized were apparently intended for Chan’s personal consumption.

The majority of the seized items were allegedly intended for supply.

Investigations are ongoing.

The case has been adjourned to Oct. 1.

Penalties

Under the TVCA, etomidate and its analogues are listed as specified psychoactive substances in the schedule.

Convicted importers are liable to a jail term of three to 20 years and five to 15 strokes of the cane.

Convicted suppliers are liable to a jail term of two to 10 years and two to five strokes of the cane.

A 57-year-old woman, a Chinese national, was sentenced to six months’ jail and a S$2,500 fine for illegally overstaying in Singapore for 8,081 days, equivalent to more than 22 years.

Wang Youying pleaded guilty to one charge under the Immigration Act and was sentenced on Aug. 21.

Surrendered

On Aug. 4, Wang reportedly went to Bukit Merah East Neighbourhood Police Centre and surrendered to the police, Shin Min Daily News reported.

She could not produce any documentation proving her legal stay in Singapore.

Wang was subsequently arrested and handed over to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for investigations.

Prior conviction

Investigations revealed that Wang had a prior conviction on Oct. 30, 2002, for overstaying in Singapore for more than 90 days.

She was sentenced to one month’s jail and fined S$2,000.

Wang was eventually released on Dec. 31 and was repatriated to China a few days later.

Re-entered

Wang re-entered Singapore on a flight on Jun. 5, 2004.

In charge sheets seen by Mothership, she was issued a 14-day visit pass the same day.

The pass permitted Wang to remain in Singapore until Jun. 19, 2004.

After the pass expired, she did not leave and failed to apply for an extension of stay.

Wang illegally overstayed for 8,081 days, which is a period of 22 years, one month and 16 days, since the pass expired.

It was not disclosed how she managed to support herself during her overstay or where she resided.

Illness

The prosecution sought six months’ jail and a S$2,500 fine for Wang.

They argued that this was Wang’s second offence of the same nature.

In mitigation, Wang reportedly said she suffered from a serious illness and hoped to return to China as soon as possible.

She pleaded for leniency.

As Wang was unable to pay the fine, she will serve an additional five days in jail in lieu of the fine.