74-year-old S'porean nursing home resident of 20 years looking to reunite with family

She is unable to care for herself as she suffers from multiple medical conditions.

Lee Wei Lin | May 20, 2022, 07:13 PM

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An elderly woman in Singapore is looking to reunite with her daughter and granddaughter.

74-year-old Sia Bee Bee (谢美美)  has been living in nursing homes for the past two decades, and is currently at the Society for the Aged Sick (SAS).

Hopes to see daughter & granddaughter before she passes away

SAS told Mothership that the last time that Sia saw her daughter and granddaughter was about 20 years ago, when she was living at Man Fut Tong Nursing Home (MFT).

Photo of Sia Bee Bee when she was younger, used in her identity card.

Photo of Sia Bee Bee taken by Society for the Aged Sick.

Her daughter is named Tay Ya Mei and should be around 53 years old. Her granddaughter, Tan Bee Leng, is believed to be 30. Tay was last known to be living along Woodlands Street 82 but seemed to have moved without informing her mother.

Sia does not have any old photos of herself, nor of her family.

Family background

Sia was wed in an arranged marriage when she was 13 and had her first child a year later. She divorced her then-husband when she was 17, and she believes that he has passed away.

She had four children to look after — two daughters and a son who are her biological children, and an adopted son.

Her elder daughter and adopted son are believed to have migrated overseas, and they have not been in contact with Sia for decades.

Sia was living with her youngest child, her son, in a three-room HDB flat after he discharged her from MFT in 2008. He reportedly sold the apartment as he wanted to move to Malaysia. Although she went along with him, she came back to Singapore alone a week later as she was unable to get along with his girlfriend.

Alone in Singapore, the woman slept at the void deck of a Woodlands HDB block before being spotted by police officers. They referred her to Alexandra Hospital, and subsequently to SAS.

According to an SAS representative, Sia does not wish to see her youngest son.

Medical conditions

Sia suffered a stroke in 1994 and has been diagnosed with diabetes and ischemic heart disease.

Her lower left leg was amputated because of complications that arose from her diabetic condition, and she underwent a mastectomy last August after being diagnosed with cancer in her right breast.

A more recent photo of Sia Bee Bee, taken by Society for the Aged Sick

She still has follow-up consultations for the cancer, with her next appointment being in July.

As a result of her medical conditions, she has been unable to live independently for the last 20 years.

Anyone with relevant information may reach out to SAS at 6922 6222 or email them at [email protected].

Top photos by Society for the Aged Sick.