SINGAPORE — Few had expected Samuel Lim Hong Xiang to survive after his grandmother's domestic helper poured acid down his throat when he was just three months old.But Lim defied every medical prognosis and lived on.Despite severe damage to his vocal cords and tongue, Lim graduated with a master's degree in speech pathology from the University of Melbourne and, earlier in 2025, fulfilled his dream of becoming a speech and language therapist at Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities.But in June, barely five months into the job, Lim was diagnosed with nose cancer. He died on June 28 at the age of 26.Lim leaves his parents, Lim Boon Keong and Madam Tan Poh Ling, both in their early 50s, a 20-year-old sister and a 23-year-old brother.«We were told he had stage 4 cancer,» Lim's father told The Straits Times.«But in his final week, he looked fine. He said he didn't feel any pain. He wanted to live.»Madam Tan said that despite the diagnosis, Lim remained hopeful. He had received his first chemotherapy treatment three days before his death and had expressed his hope to return to work. Read more