Discovering Burkitt Lymphoma at 27 Years Old

Ng Wei-Qing
Burkitt Lymphoma Survivor

In 2012, two years before her cancer diagnosis, Wei-Qing developed floaters in her right eye. At that time, she saw an ophthalmologist and was prescribed eye drops. A year later, the condition worsened to the point where she couldn't see the license plates of the cars in front of her while driving with just her right eye.

Five months later, Wei-Qing fainted and vomited at work. Alarmed, her colleagues called an ambulance, and this was when Wei-Qing said her nightmare began.

“Upon the headache and profuse vomiting session, when I was wheeled into the hospital, I couldn’t lift my head upright and had to lean against something to balance my head. The subsequent MRI found a brain tumour on my right cerebellum. I had to undergo a craniotomy to remove the brain tumour and to carry out a biopsy.”

Through the biopsy, Wei-Qing who was 27 years-old at the time, discovered she had Burkitt Lymphoma, which had caused a secondary brain tumour. Burkitt Lymphoma is an aggressive non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma where immediate and intensive chemotherapy is needed to treat the cancer. Studies have shown that people who receive treatment right away have high rates of remission when it comes to this type of blood cancer.

“What gave me hope was the doctor (Dr Alan Teh) showing me successful cases, like Singapore’s President Mr Lee Hsien Loong who was diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma back in 1992. I told myself to persevere on with my chemotherapy.”

Wei-Qing’s treatment plan consisted of chemotherapy, stem cell harvesting and stem cell transplant (also known as Bone Marrow Transplant). She recalls, “After my fifth round of chemotherapy, when my body is deemed to be more cancer free, my stem cells were cultured for approximately 2 months before infusing back to my body. This is because during the stem cell transplant, a strong dose of chemotherapy was administered to knock down my entire system and my white blood count was nil. This is when my stem cell was infused back to my body, to regenerate my whole self with healthier cells.”

Wei-Qing describes her experience of going through chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant (BMT) as a vacation. This is mostly due to her parents and the medical staff providing her with excellent care. During her hospital stay, she even picked up crocheting and would make little crochet gifts for her doctors and platelet donors.

“Born in SJMC, Reborn in SJMC, " Wei Qing said. “I was born in SJMC as a baby and now after cancer, I am being reborn with a second life thanks to the successful treatment.”

The now 37-year-old insurance agent and marketing director says that “I feel like my life truly began after surviving cancer. I tried to do things that I never did before—I joined the National Cancer Society; I spend time doing things I truly enjoy and I don’t strive for perfection but just do my best.”