SINGAPORE: She mothered them through years of hard training in
the pool, the thrill of competition, the pain of failure and the harsh
public scrutiny that came with being one of Singapore's most bemedalled
swim stars.
Madam Tan Lee Choo - mother of former national swimmers Joscelin
and Leonard Yeo, and former national triathlete Gerard Yeo - was a
pillar of strength to her children, and a source of unconditional love
no matter how rough things got.
But in the last two years, as she fought her battle with a stage-four
brain tumour, it was her children who found themselves trying to be all
that to her.
"This whole time, Joscelin, my brother and myself, and especially my
Dad, did whatever we could to be there for her, talking and listening
to her. Whatever she taught us, we tried to give it back," said eldest
son Leonard, 31.
"It happened quite rapidly and drastically in the last month. We were hopeful, but sometimes you can't explain things."
Mdm Tan died on Tuesday night. She was 59.
Speaking at the Mount Vernon Funeral Parlour on Wednesday, Leonard, the
managing director of Yeo's Aquatics swim school, said her life "was an
example" to her children.
"Loving us, providing for us, being a moral support for us, being a
listening ear - she went out of her way like a mum would. That gave us
wings to soar.
"At least we knew we could fall into a safety net, knowing she and my
dad wouldn't judge us at all ... regardless of whether we made it, and
that was the environment we grew up in."
Of the three children, it was Joscelin, 30, of course, who made the
biggest headlines. When at age 14, she swept nine gold medals at the
1993 SEA Games, it was Mdm Tan, an accountant, who helped the teenager
handle the intense media and public scrutiny.
Joscelin declined to speak to the press on Wednesday. But former
national swimmer Gary Tan, one of Joscelin's close friends, said her
mum was her source of inspiration, especially in tough times.
"Jos really looked up to her as her pillar of strength," said Mr Tan, 27.
"Her mother's drive and character was a main reason why she had so much success in her swimming career."
Though Joscelin may have grabbed more of the media spotlight, Mdm Tan
and her husband, Mr Lawrence Yeo, 67, treated all their children
equally. Said Leonard: "They loved us all the same and gave us the same
opportunities."
Former Singapore swim star and current national head coach Ang Peng
Siong remembers Mdm Tan as an "exemplary" parent who was there for
"every of her children's training sessions and meets".
The funeral service is on Friday morning.
- TODAY
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RIP.