A $20,000 donation by a company, drawn from its in-house fund, has helped lift the financial woes of a 56-year-old widow whose only child has recently undergone surgery, reported Lianhe Wanbao.
He suffers from a chronic condition in the heart.
The cheque was handed on Wednesday through the Chinese evening daily to Lee Li Leng, who was greatly moved by the gesture.
The company – which drew the money from a fund that collects 10 cents every month from each of its employees and a dollar-for-dollar match from the boss – does not want to be identified.
The fund is used solely for charity, said Wanbao.
Ms Lee has brought up her son by taking on two jobs a day after her husband died 24 years ago.
He had a rupture in the aorta, the main artery in the heart.
In early 2013, just when she thought her worst days were over as her son had graduated from Singapore Polytechnic and started working, she was dealt another blow.
The son, now 26, was diagnosed then to be suffering from aortic dissection, a condition he had inherited from his father, after his skin suddenly turned purplish.
In the next three years, he experienced two aortic wall ruptures.
Last month, on doctor’s advice, he underwent a surgery to alleviate the condition.
To raise the money for the bill, Ms Lee, who earned only $1,000 plus a month in her last job as a mobile phone sales representative, had to pawn all her valuables.
She also has to continue paying for her housing loan.
The company came to learn of her plight and decided to help.
Ms Lee revealed that she had stopped working since his son’s operation so that she could look after him .
“Before I could clear all the previous medical bills, I have chalked up another one,” she lamented.
“Recently, the HDB also asked me to pay $8,000 for the renovation of the lifts.
“This help has come at an opportune time to help me solve my current problems,” she added gratefully.
myp@sph.com.sg
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