A Singaporean woman's rapid decline and surgery for glioblastoma, as told by her husband, highlighting the disease's severity, treatment limits, and their emotional journey.
In late 2025, just before Christmas, Teresa Hon, a 31-year-old former Singapore Airlines air stewardess, faced a life-altering health crisis. She was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most aggressive and fastest-growing type of brain cancer.
Her tumour measured over 6 cm, making it highly complex. Because the tumour was dangerously close to brain regions controlling vital functions, surgeons could not remove it entirely without risking irreversible damage such as loss of speech, hearing, paralysis, or other severe neurological deficits. Her husband, Bjorn Chua, vividly recalls the emotional turmoil as she was wheeled into the operating theatre, surrounded by a team of 10 to 20 medical professionals.
The surgery was expected to last four to six hours, but the neurosurgeon emerged after only two and a half hours, causing Chua to fear the worst-he thought his wife had died. The operation succeeded in removing more than 40 percent of the tumour, a significant achievement given the risks. When Chua saw Hon in the intensive care unit shortly afterward, she was awake and smiled at him, saying, 'hello, baby.
' That moment brought immense relief. However, the journey to diagnosis had been devastatingly rapid. Prior to surgery, Hon's symptoms escalated dramatically. She began vomiting uncontrollably, suffered severe seizures, and even tore out her hair in agony.
Her eyes became misaligned due to tumour pressure-one eye looked straight while the other turned. She needed a wheelchair as she lost the ability to walk properly. These symptoms emerged after she left her job as a flight attendant and started working at Marina Bay Sands earlier in 2025. Initial headaches, which she treated with painkillers, intensified into hammering pain.
After a neurologist consultation, an MRI revealed a massive tumour covering nearly a third of her brain, later identified as grade 4 glioblastoma. During seizures, she gripped her hair so forcefully that Chua had to hold it to prevent her from tearing her scalp. Remarkably, on the morning of surgery, Hon remained calm, reassuring Chua she would be fine-a strength that deeply moved him.
Post-surgery, Hon has no memory of events leading up to the operation, but upon awakening, reality fully hit her. The surgical incision across her scalp involved removing a section of her skull to access the tumour. Glioblastoma is rare, with about 100 cases diagnosed annually in Singapore. Its cause is unknown, though some genetic factors may increase risk.
Symptoms include persistent headaches, seizures, and neurological decline like weakness, speech issues, vision problems, memory loss, or personality changes. Treatment typically involves maximal safe surgical resection, followed by radiation and chemotherapy.
However, even after removing all visible tumour, microscopic cancer cells often remain in surrounding brain tissue, and current therapies cannot eliminate them all. The disease is incurable; survival rates are low. For Chua, tinting his car windows before the surgery was a symbolic act of love and hope. He wanted the car to be a safe, private space for Hon during her recovery.
The couple had married in 2023 and shared an active life of gym workouts, golf, and travel. Their dreams were abruptly interrupted by this aggressive cancer. The story underscores the brutal impact of glioblastoma-it attacks the very organ that defines identity, affecting cognition, memory, language, personality, movement, and appearance. Hon's journey highlights both medical challenges and the emotional resilience of patients and families.
Post-operative recovery will involve further treatments like radiation and chemotherapy to target residual cancer cells. Each day presents new hurdles as Hon adapts to physical changes and the uncertainty of her prognosis. Chua remains committed to supporting her, cherishing moments like her first words after surgery. Their experience illustrates the importance of early detection, though glioblastoma's swift progression often delays diagnosis until symptoms become severe.
It also emphasizes the need for ongoing research to improve outcomes for this devastating disease. As Hon faces a challenging road ahead, the couple's story is a poignant reminder of the fragility of health and the power of love in confronting mortality
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