From struggling to walk after open skull surgery Kenny Lee will take on Singapore T100

SINGAPORE – It was 1am on February 23, 2024, when Ng PeiRu was jolted awake by a loud thud.

Rushing out of the bedroom, the 38-year-old found her husband, Kenny Lee, collapsed on the ground, unresponsive but breathing.

As they waited for the ambulance, Lee regained consciousness but was in a daze. Blood trickled from his left ear, and he complained of severe head pain.

At the Singapore General Hospital, CT scans and tests revealed a brain bleed, and fractures in his skull and left temporal bone.

While doctors initially said surgery was not required, his condition took a turn for the worse two days later as the bleeding spread.

Recalling that morning when her husband underwent an emergency operation, Ng said: “I felt fear because the doctor started reading this long list of what emergency surgery entails and the high percentage of death.
“I managed to catch him (before the open skull surgery) but he was not awake, so I held his hand and said a quick prayer.

“I saw the two of us hiking again so I told myself that’s a sign he’s going to be fine.”
The five-hour operation was successful, but the uncertainty was far from over.
A senior doctor from the intensive care unit (ICU) warned that Lee’s brain was bruised and swollen, and that the recovery process could be long.

The exact cause of Lee’s collapse and brain injury remains unclear. Medical tests ruled out a brain aneurysm, stroke, or underlying heart conditions. However, doctors suspected it could have been triggered by stress or fatigue.

While Lee can only remember snippets of the incident, feeling as if he was “in and out of a dream”, he was worried about his recovery and how the ordeal would affect his family.

“I was more worried about