SINGAPORE – A visit to the National University Hospital in early 2025 brought news that changed the life of footballer-cum-silat exponent, Putri Nur’Naiema Muhammad Ismail, and her family.Her mother Aedah Yusoff, who is in her late 40s, had been feeling weak, so they brought her to the hospital. It was during the visit that the shocked family found out that Aedah had been fighting Stage 4 cervical cancer for some time. Shortly afterwards, Aedah was hospitalised for over a month, leaving Naiema, the second oldest
of six siblings, to care for her four younger brothers aged seven to 19, besides looking after her four-year-old daughter. The sudden responsibility was daunting, but the 20-year-old had little choice but to shoulder the burden, since her elder sister had moved out. “When she broke the news, we thought she was kidding,” said Naiema. “We sent her to the hospital and she was weak and she told us she’d actually had cancer for quite some time and a tumour had been growing inside her.”
She recalled that her mother initially was not keen on chemotherapy but relented after persuasion from the family. “Thankfully, she’s getting better.” Naiema was speaking on the sidelines of the Singapore Olympic Foundation (SOF)-Peter Lim Scholarship Awards presentation ceremony at the ITE College Central’s Tay Eng Soon Convention Centre on June 30. She was among 414 student-athletes across 41 sports from 119 schools who received scholarships at the ceremony, with Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo as the guest of honour. Mr
Neo said: “To all our scholarship recipients, today marks an important milestone in your journey. “Each of you has demonstrated not only talent, but als othe discipline, resilience and determination to go beyond your limits. “Continue to train hard as you chase your fullest sporting potential and inspire many more Singaporeans, and we will be with you every step of the way.” Asian Games champion and multiple SEA Games gold medallist Shanti Pereira was a special guest, while SOF chairman and International Olympic Committee member
Ng Ser Miang was also in attendance. A total of $1.115 million in scholarships were handed out this year. Since its inception in 2011, the scholarship has distributed 5,683 scholarships worth $13.7 million to support Singapore’s student-athletes. Receiving the tertiary-category scholarship for the second year in a row come as a welcome relief for Naiema. The ITE College West student said: “It helped me a lot, not just financially, but it also gave me the motivation to continue my studies further and continue my passion
in football and in silat.” When her mother was hospitalised, she juggled two jobs besides her school work, in addition to looking after her daughter and siblings. She had been working two to three jobs since her secondary school days, but back then, it was mainly to cover her own expenses. Her days typically began with classes from around 8am until 4pm or 5pm. Afterwards, she would complete a shift at Delifrance or process invoices and pack items for a seller on TikTok, which could
keep her working as late as 3am.Recalling that period, she said: “My mental health was not good since secondary school because I tend to keep things to myself a lot so I bottled it up, even until now. But I met my boyfriend three years ago and he helped me and my family a lot. “When I had to work two to three jobs and go back and forth to school and stuff, he would come by to help take care of my siblings. “When
there wasn’t enough financially, he would help and that took a whole load off my shoulders.” Sport has been her outlet amid the tough times. When she first took up football in 2013 and silat two years later, these were just ways for her to relieve some stress and mingle with others. But her passion for football grew stronger in Primary 6 when she began playing futsal instead of street football, eventually leading her to enrol in Queensway Secondary School through the Direct School Admission
scheme. The midfielder has won the C Division title in secondary school and tournaments such as the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic and the Polytechnic-ITE Games. She has also had stints with Balestier Khalsa and Winchester Isla in the Women’s Premier League and Women’s National League respectively. Her responsibilities outside of work have forced her to turn down some opportunities including invitations to attend national team training, as she has been unable to commit the necessary time. While balancing everything has not been easy, Naeima, who is studying security
system integration, is determined to improve things. She said: “I just don’t want my family to keep on living in this state. “After I gave birth, I wanted to work full-time but without any certifications, I figured I wouldn’t be able to work in higher paying jobs so I continued my studies so that I can have a stable home for my whole family. Another scholarship recipient under the tertiary category was 17-year-old karateka Brylle Neo. Born with a ventricular septal defect, or a hole
in the heart, he was often told that he would not be able to do high-intensity sports or even play sports like other children. In primary school, he joined basketball as his co-curricular activity but had to quit only after a few sessions as he would become breathless from the physical strain. That, however, did not stop Brylle from pursuing sport. When he was nine, his mother enrolled him for karate lessons, hoping it would improve his heart condition. And he fell in love with
the sport, going on to compete in his first overseas tournament when he was 13 as his heart condition improved. He said: “I felt the thrill to fight on the mat in front of a big audience and I felt like the effort I put in was also being seen and I was able to reap the results I deserved. “I felt like I could push myself further than I think I can and that’s helped me get to where I’m at right now.” Now
part of the national training squad, Brylle is the reigning national champion in the junior-61kg male kumite category and has represented Singapore at international competitions. Apart from karate, he also enjoys other sports like swimming and recently completed his first aquathlon. “When I was younger, I felt that I couldn’t perform as well as my other peers,” said the ITE East student, who hopes to compete at the SEA Games and Asian Games one day.“I didn’t stop pushing myself to my limit just because I
had this condition, it motivated me even more because I had to prove to myself that I can keep up with others.”
SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship, Putri Nur’Naiema Muhammad Ismail, Aedah Yusoff, stage 4 cervical cancer, ITE College Central, David Neo, Shanti Pereira, Ng Ser Miang, student-athletes, karate Brylle Neo