‘Forget me’: Ex-SQ stewardess, 31, told husband to remarry after she received brain cancer diagnosis
For many cabin crew members, stepping off the aircraft is just the beginning of a new journey.
Introducing Stomp’s new original series, Life After Landing, where we spotlight former flight attendants who have traded the skies for unexpected careers, pursued personal passions or navigated life-changing experiences after leaving the aviation industry.
When Teresa Hon was diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer, she told her husband to find another girl, remarry and forget her.
Before cancer upended their lives, the 31-year-old former Singapore Airlines (SQ) flight attendant and her husband Bjorn Chua had been building a future together.
The couple first met on a dating app during the Covid-19 pandemic, and tied the knot in 2023.
Hon had left the airline in 2025 after eight years and was working as a retail staff member at a jewellery store when her health took a sudden turn.
In December 2025, she was diagnosed with Grade 4 glioblastoma — an aggressive and fast-growing malignant brain tumour.
The tumour, which was more than 6cm in size, had caused her to suffer from excruciating headaches, uncontrollable vomiting and seizures.
Since then, Hon has undergone brain surgery, radiotherapy, and six cycles of chemotherapy.
As about 40 per cent of the tumour remains, she is currently receiving monthly Avastin infusions. The treatment works by blocking the blood supply that tumours need to grow and helps reduce the risk of a relapse.
Her journey has been marked by immense physical, mental and emotional challenges, including the fear that she would become a burden to her husband.
But he refused to leave her.
Standing by her through surgery, treatment and the difficult road to recovery, Chua has watched his wife slowly regain her mobility.
‘I always knew he wanted a child, and I couldn’t provide’
About five to six months into her cancer journey, Hon told Stomp that she found herself in a very dark place.
She struggled to come to terms with her diagnosis, grappling with denial and disbelief as she went through months of gruelling treatment.
On top of that, she said her cancer treatment affects fertility as well.
“I could see (my husband) struggling. I always knew he wanted a child, and I couldn’t provide,” Hon said while wiping away her tears.
One day, while they were in the car, she said she could no longer hold back her emotions and told him: “You should find another girl, remarry and forget me.”
Her husband cried when he heard what she said.
Chua told Stomp that leaving Hon was “never part of the equation” and that he had never considered it a possibility.
“If we can’t have kids, then we don’t have kids,” the 41-year-old said. “I told her, no, I only have one wife and you’ll be my only wife.”
Looking back, Hon said she was suffering deeply at the time and had reached a point where she wanted to give up.
Grieving who she used to be
When she first heard her diagnosis, Hon said her life as she knew it was, in a single moment, divided into a “before” and “after”.
“I just couldn’t imagine something as serious as cancer happening to me, especially at my age,” she said.
Chua was also in disbelief when he first found out about the tumour in his wife’s brain.
“I thought it could be somebody else’s MRI scan. But it sunk in and it was the truth,” he said.
Not long after she was diagnosed, Hon underwent a highly complex surgery on her frontal lobe that left her with a large incision on the area above her forehead. The hair on that part of her head was shaved off.
As she went through radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Hon said she struggled with extreme fatigue and a weakened immune system caused by the treatments’ side effects.
She said the ordeal was “difficult to endure” and she lived in constant fear and pain. She recalled often crying alone “day and night” as she questioned why this had happened to her.
“There were days I would grieve for the person I used to be,” she said.
Hon spoke about the strong steroids she was prescribed, which caused her face to swell and her clothing size to increase from S to L.
The bones in her knees were also weakened due to the steroids, leaving her unable to walk properly. She said her husband had to hold her up all the time, and she had to be on elbow crutches for a while.
While her condition has since improved, her knees have yet to regain full mobility.
“It was something I couldn’t accept. Cancer stripped away everything — my career, fertility, appearance,” she said. “I couldn’t even enjoy my hobbies like golf and going to the gym.”
In the beginning, Chua said he also felt angry, questioning why someone who was healthy and otherwise able-bodied could be struck by such a disease.
While it was painful to see his wife suffering, he said he refused to let them be consumed by negativity.
“We live one day at a time and make sure that every day is a happy day,” said Chua.
Husband and family helped her through
Hon said it was her husband’s unwavering support that helped her get through the darkest periods of her cancer journey.
He was her anchor, offering encouragement through the most difficult moments and taking care of her day-to-day needs, from driving her to the hospital every morning for treatment to organising all her medications.
Right after she was discharged, Chua created a daily medication schedule from 5am to 10pm, setting multiple alarms to wake her throughout the day and ensuring she did not miss a single dose.
“He’s my source of strength, and also a reminder that even in life’s hardest battles, I am deeply loved. Because of him, I got my will and spirit to fight,” said Hon.
Though she once felt like a burden to her husband, simply having him by her side made a huge difference, she said.
His presence kept her from feeling lonely and stopped negative thoughts from creeping into her mind.
Chua, a senior director at a real estate agency, said he has been blocking off time and rearranging his appointments when necessary to ensure that Hon remains his priority.
When he is not home, he engages a helper to keep an eye on her and take care of the household chores.
He said he made a conscious decision to stay strong for his wife and has stuck to it, refusing to break down in front of her — or even when he is alone.
“I have to be strong. I’m her pillar. If I break, she also breaks,” said Chua.
The couple’s family members have also rallied around Hon, helping to care for her throughout her treatment.
Hon said her mother-in-law treated her like her own daughter, cooking up to six meals a day for her after her diagnosis. She even taught the couple’s helper how to prepare the meals, ensuring Hon received the nutrition she needed.
When Chua was out, his parents would step in to care for Hon, feeding her and accompanying her to medical appointments.
As Hon’s parents are based in Penang, Malaysia, they would travel to Singapore to visit her whenever they could. Her sister would also visit Hon every two months.
On the road to recovery
Today, Hon said she is slowly regaining her strength and is on the road to recovery.
Despite incurring about $400,000 in medical bills since her diagnosis, the couple remain determined to live life to the fullest.
When asked about how they have been navigating the prospect of not having children, Hon said they are considering getting another dog instead. They currently have a six-year-old poodle and hope to welcome a silver or grey poodle in the near future.
The couple agreed that having children was no longer their priority given Hon’s condition. Instead, their focus is on her healing.
Hon has also been asking to eat out recently, so Chua has been taking her to enjoy some of her favourite foods such as bak chor mee and ramen.
Now recovered from her surgery, Hon has received clearance from her doctor and the couple has been travelling frequently ever since.
They had just returned from Macau and were due to travel to Kuala Lumpur the following week at the time of the interview.
Chua said he admired how his wife had faced the challenges of her cancer journey.
“She’s even more beautiful now. I admire her strength and bravery. She’s empowering a lot of women out there now,” he said.
Seeing how far she has come, Hon said, “I have to enjoy life now. Nobody knows what tomorrow may bring.”
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