'So together, we will be forever': S’pore mum, 39, who battled cancer & featured on CNA documentary passes away

A Singapore woman who had battled Stage 4 breast cancer has left behind a touching final message for her four children after her death.

Alison Wee Yeh Ling died on May 24, 2026, at the age of 39, according to a post shared by Death Kopitiam Singapore on May 29.

In the post, which was titled “From a mother to her children”, Wee addressed each of her children — Isaac, Ivan, Isaiah and Isabelle — individually.

Message

The message was originally shared on CNA.

To her firstborn, Isaac, she said she was proud of the person he had grown into, adding that he was “a sensible boy” and “so mature”.

Her message to Ivan carried a moment of humour, as she reassured him that he was “not adopted”, adding: “You came from my womb. You are my child.”

To Isaiah, who she said had often told her he wanted to be with her “forever together”, Wee wrote: “So together, we will be forever.”

She also had a tender message for her youngest, Isabelle, whom she described as “so little and so precious” and regretted not having spent much time with. “I hope you turn into a fine lady,” she said.

Diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer at 35

Wee was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in late 2022, when she was 35, CNA reported in 2023.

At the time, she was a stay-at-home mother of four young children, then aged between two and 10, and was also 10 days away from the finals of Mrs Singapore Chinatown 2022, a beauty pageant she had joined.

The cancer had spread to her breast, liver, lungs, lymph nodes and spine, with doctors telling her that 70 per cent of her liver was filled with tumours.

Despite the diagnosis, Wee continued with the pageant.

Days after her diagnosis and first chemotherapy session, she put on her cheongsam and makeup in her hospital ward, competed in the pageant, and emerged as first runner-up.

“I felt very weak and did not think I would win. I just wanted to go up there and share what I was going through so that I could be a voice helping other women facing breast cancer,” she told CNA.

When she was announced first runner-up, Wee said, “It was so surreal. I was at a loss for words.”

Wanted to preserve memories for her children

In 2024, Wee also appeared in a CNA Insider documentary about grief technology, where she spoke about wanting to preserve memories for her children.

As part of the documentary, Wee explored StoryFile, a U.S. company that offers an AI-powered video platform allowing people to create conversational video interactions.

The StoryFile founder explained to Wee in the documentary that the process would involve a recorded interview, where she would sit for about six hours and answer more than 100 questions.

This was actually why Wee had recorded the final messages for her children mentioned earlier.

The answers would then be stored in a database, so that in future, her family members could ask questions to a screen and receive the answer she had recorded “just like a conversation”, he explained.

“Life is short, time is limited”

In an interview with The Singapore Women’s Weekly published in 2024, Wee said her cancer journey had changed how she viewed life.

She said she had previously been “cowardly” and hesitant to dream or pursue what she wanted, out of concern for how others might react.

“But now I realise life is short, time is limited,” she said.

Wee also told CNA that she hoped her children would be brave and do what they wanted to do.

She added:

“I want to be a living example for them. This is what keeps me strong.”