"Goodnight, our sweet angel": Samuel King, 27
A “wonderful son, adored grandson and cherished nephew”. This was how Samuel was described on his death notice published in the Straits Times, obituaries section on Jan 21, 2022.
A bright young talent with a zest for life. He had an eye for the latest trends in the fashion industry and was “always polite, sweet and kind”.
Here was a recent graduate having attained the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Fashion Marketing and Branding from the Nottingham Trent University and he was in the middle of a second degree in media and digital practice.
Source: obits.sg
His life was just only beginning, his potential was waiting to be unleashed, and in the decades to come, he had so much to give to his craft.
Unexpectedly, his life took a turn in early August last year.
Scans showed that there “was a huge blood clot in his lungs and his testicles were swollen” - the tumour(s) was cancerous.
To raise funds for his son’s treatment, Samuel’s father, Tom, took to GoFundMe and subsequently raised GBP 20,490.
Sam began treatment in earnest in September last year and after several cycles of chemotherapy, surgeries, procedures, scans and bronchoscopy tests, his condition was beginning to stabilise.
On 12 December 2021, Tom wrote, “Sam has been recovering from his surgery at home [. . .] his appetite has been good, and he has been having a short walk every morning just around the outside of our apartment to try and build up his strength; he is staying bright and positive which we respect him greatly for.”
Throughout his treatment, he had remained stoic and brave. He was thus able to spend Christmas and the new year with his family at home. However, Samuel’s condition worsened over the New Year, and on Jan 18, after a courageous and colossal tussle with cancer – when Samuel almost had the upper hand – he passed away peacefully in the intensive care unit at the Singapore General Hospital.
He was 27.
Source: GoFundMe
The Emperor of all Maladies took a toll on him, but cancer was unable to rob him of his warm and genuine smile that could open any hearts.
The tumours ravaged his physical self, but they did not take away the insightful mind and the joyous, yet humble, soul that was the hallmark of his overachieving young life.
Cancer did not change the fact that Sam, in his father’s words, was the “purest, most honest and most kind-hearted young man in the world”.
The cancerous cells raided his immune system, but his wit and his passion for life never wavered. He loved his life.
Cancer cut his life short, but it will never rob his parents of the many beautiful memories that they shared.
The love of a parent will never change; the memories they hold of their child will now never age. It is timeless. It endures.
As they navigate a world tomorrow without their best friend, do know and be assured that the untimely separation today is only momentary.
They grieve because they love.
As Samuel’s ever-grateful father puts it, “the sun will never set on you, Samuel King, our sweel angel, you will live in our hearts and souls for longer than eternity, we love you so much, Goodnight, sweetheart XXXXXXXX”.
Grief is heaviest price we pay for love.
