'More than a doctor': Former patients pay tribute to Lee Wei Ling

Following the announcement of Dr Lee Wei Ling's death on Wednesday (Oct 9), former patients took to social media to express their condolences to her family and thank her for helping them. 

Dr Lee was a paediatric neurologist specialising in epilepsy, and also the director of the National Neuroscience Institute from 2004 to 2014. 

She died at home aged 69, four years after she was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative brain disease which affects physical movements, walking, balance and eye movements. 

On social media, Dr Lee's former patients paid tribute to her, sharing how she had helped them in the past. 

One of her former patients, who was diagnosed with slight dyslexia, wrote: "I remember her kindness and admired her positive energy. Thanks to her, I managed to get into the express stream at SJI." 

Another comment described Dr Lee as an "exceptional doctor". 

"She was humble and unassuming. I am very grateful to her for saving my daughter at Tan Tock Seng Hospital when she was only five weeks old." 

"Dr Lee was more than a doctor to us. She literally spends so much time with all her patients," wrote another netizen. 

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said that Dr Lee was "an outstanding doctor who was devoted to caring for her patients and their families".

He shared that she visited him at Tan Tock Seng Hospital after he suffered a stroke in 2016.

"She spent almost an hour with my wife and me, advising us on how to recover well and to stay physically and mentally active to rebuild my neural network.

"We deeply appreciated her care and concern for me," he wrote.

A former student of Dr Lee also shared how she inspired him to pursue his passion in the medical field. 

"It was clear to all of us then medical students, that we were in the company of a brilliant and fiercely passionate physician." 

Others said that they enjoyed reading her articles on the Sunday Times, where she had a weekly column. 

READ ALSO: Lee Wei Ling, Lee Kuan Yew's daughter, dies aged 69

claudiatan@asiaone.com