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'A ball of sunshine': Ex-SIA stewardess, 40, dies of multi-organ failure, had collapsed 2 days after ankle surgery from fall
She underwent what was expected to be a straightforward ankle surgery after slipping on tiles that had become slippery after rain.
July 11, 2026, 06:45 PM
All photos courtesy of Magdalene Tay Chien
A 40-year-old former Singapore Airlines (SIA) stewardess suddenly passed away on Jul. 9, 2026, about two weeks after she slipped and fractured her ankle.
Venecia Ng had undergone what was expected to be a straightforward ankle surgery, and appeared to be recovering well.
However, she collapsed in the hospital after complaining of breathlessness, and did not regain consciousness.
Her death certificate, seen by Mothership, states her cause of death as multi-organ failure following pulmonary thromboembolism, a condition where blood clots block the arteries in the lungs.
Slipped on wet tiles while crossing to work
Ng's close friend of 18 years, Magdalene Tay, 39, told Mothership that the pair had joined SIA around the same time in January 2008.
Ng served as a flight stewardess for about 10 years, before moving on to a role at Thomson Medical, where she was working at the time of her fall.
On Jun. 22, Ng was crossing from a shophouse office, where Thomson Medical houses some of its staff, to the hospital building when she slipped on yellow tactile paving tiles that had become slippery after rain, Tay said.
The fall left her with a fractured ankle, and she underwent surgery on Jun. 30.
Extended hospital stay
According to Tay, Ng was expected to be discharged the day after her operation on Jul. 1, but decided to extend her stay by one more day as she was experiencing pain in her leg.
Tay said she appeared well after the surgery — even joking about her injury in a social media post.
However, in the wee hours of Jul. 2, she complained of breathlessness and collapsed shortly afterwards.
Tay said they were informed that Ng's heart had stopped, and that the medical team performed manual resuscitation for about two hours before she was placed on an ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machine, a life-support machine that takes over the work of the heart and lungs.
Ng was then transferred to the intensive care unit at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.
She never regained consciousness, and died on Jul. 9 at about 5:05pm.
Tay said:
"It is heartbreaking and shocking that what began as an ankle injury ended in such a tragic loss.”
"A ball of sunshine to many"
Tay described her friend as selfless, bubbly and cheerful. Ng was someone who always put others before herself and stood up for her friends and colleagues.
That selflessness showed even in Ng's hardest moments.
Seven years ago, Ng suffered a mid-term miscarriage, losing her baby Raelyn.
Tay recalled how Ng, even while grieving her pregnancy loss and struggling to conceive, never failed to check in regularly on Tay's sister, who had cancer at the time.
"That's how selfless she is. She is bubbly, she's cheerful and a ball of sunshine to many!"
In a heartfelt tribute posted on Instagram, Tay wrote that she had "lost a buddy but Raelyn gained her mummy".
Commenting on the attendance at Ng's wake, Tay said:
"Her wake is full tonight, so many people shared so many good things about her. A life well lived albeit too short. The hearts and lives she has touched with her sincerity and kindness brought so many people together tonight.
Venie, it's full house, bloody full house."
She told Mothership that the wake was filled with people from all walks of life — "a true reflection of the many lives she touched".
"In the midst of the grief, there was also warmth and joy in celebrating her life. It felt exactly the way she would have wanted it — bringing people together, just as she always did."
In her post, Tay shared photos of the pair from their flying days, adding that Ng was "gone too soon".
"I knew you were great but I didn't know you were THIS GREAT. I got so damn busy becos of you, you better meet me in my dreams soon! I love you"
