12-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Wins Award Helping Peers

A 12-year-old girl who survived bone cancer and leg amputation just won an award for helping other kids thrive at school.

Debbie Ong En Yu was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in kindergarten. After losing her right leg, she threw herself into table tennis and became one of the youngest players in Singapore's Paralympic training program. But her biggest accomplishment might be what she does during lunch breaks.

Debbie volunteers in her school's recess-buddy program, spending time with a young student who struggled to sit still in class. She taught him how to listen to teachers, make friends, and feel comfortable at school. "There's such a big improvement now," Debbie said. "He listens attentively during class, and he knows how to talk to his friends, so that they'll like him."

She received the Singapore Silent Heroes Student Award on May 23 alongside 193 other students from 81 schools. The annual awards, launched in 2023, celebrate young people who support elderly neighbors, care for peers with special needs, or help struggling classmates.

Another winner, 16-year-old Teo Min Xuan, advocates for people with rare diseases and teaches seniors digital skills. She leads workshops showing older adults how to spot phone scams and use their smartphones confidently. "It's not how much effort or time you put in, it's about whether you put in the effort to help these people at all," Min Xuan said.

Twelve-year-old Tay Yu Han won recognition for attending school and caring for her seven-year-old brother with special needs while undergoing her own cancer treatment. She dreams of becoming a nurse after watching hospital staff care for her during treatment. "When I see them help patients, it touches my heart," she said.

The Ripple Effect

Minister of State for Education Jasmin Lau told the young winners that compassion can't be learned from textbooks alone. She praised them for putting values into action when they could have focused solely on grades and competition.

The awards show how one student's kindness creates waves. Debbie's willingness to spend her lunch breaks with a struggling classmate didn't just change one child's school experience. It proved that young people facing their own challenges still have the power to lift others up.

These 194 students chose connection over convenience, and their communities are better for it.