What is a parent’s greatest comfort in the face of sudden and devastating loss? For Naw Day Day and her husband, Peter Wong, this was the very question they found themselves grappling with when tragedy struck out of the blue, robbing them of their beloved 5-year-old daughter, Louise.

When Tragedy Struck

It all started on January 15, when Louise complained of chest and bowel pains. She later developed a high fever. Though concerned, the family decided to monitor her condition for one day per usual practice, before taking further steps.

Later in the afternoon, however, Louise started experiencing seizures. That’s when Day Day knew something was gravely amiss and decided to call Peter to rush their daughter to the hospital, where she was immediately placed in the high dependency ward.

“We saw her through the window of the triage barrier. She was laid sideways, with her eyelids opened, not blinking. I knew then that the brain damage was already a done deal for her, and that she will likely not survive,” Peter said.

Later, when they were granted their first physical access to Louise, Peter described tears flowing down his face as he observed that “her body was physically cold to touch and she was attached to the ventilator and vitals monitor.”


But he continually sang to Louise one of the worship songs she had often performed in church as he sat by her bedside. “I told Louise that she will get to meet and play with the apostles that she once learned about in Sunday school,” said Peter. “It was also another way for me to comfort myself, to be reminded that there is a better heavenly place beyond this physical life.”

Losing Louise

Louise passed on about 36 hours after she was first hospitalised, in the wee hours of 17 January. Her condition was later diagnosed as a rare neurologic disease known as acute necrotizing encephalopathy of childhood (ANEC), a disease exclusively seen in East Asian infants and children who had been previously healthy.

Peter recalled that he had mixed emotions when her body arrived home in a coffin. “The first sight of her was somewhat comforting because she had finally come back home, but I was saddened that she was back home lifeless.”

For Day Day, she held onto Joshua 1:9, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (NLT), and was encouraged that God is with Louise and with the family in this faith journey.

The Gift of Louise’s Life

Now, four months later, Day Day shares that the hardest part was not the unanswered prayer for Louise to be healed. Instead, it was the guilt of wondering if she could have done more to save her child.

“I was angry with myself for not believing in her (Louise). That was the most painful,” added Day Day. She could only gradually break out of this self-blame game after her husband and godmother rallied alongside her and reminded her of God’s goodness.

Looking back, Day Day is thankful that her child no longer has to suffer. She is also consciously aware that God had given Louise to them as a “bonus”, blessing them with her infectious laughter for the past five years and giving Luke a sibling to play with.

Coping with Life After Loss

Nonetheless, the pain and grief of losing Louise is still acute. The couple is now taking baby steps together to forge new memories while holding on to the happy times with Louise in their heart.

Day Day says that they are definitely more patient when dealing with Luke now. The two-year-old boy had wondered where his older sister was, but is still too young to fully grasp the reality of things.

The couple hopes that their story—heart-wrenching as it may be—will bring glory to God and remind families to cherish one another as life can take on unexpected twists. They acknowledge that there will likely not be any complete answers for what they’ve had to go through, but attest to the Lord’s unwavering comfort during a time of incomprehensible grief (Lamentations 3:32-33).

“We still miss her a lot. For me personally, I have cried daily thinking of her. But this ordeal has helped me understand how God must have felt when Jesus was on the path of Calvary,” said Peter. “I still don’t fully understand God’s love, but after Louise’s death, I felt the depth of God’s personal love by sending His son to die for us.”

More crucially, Peter and Day Day stressed the urgency of letting the little ones know God personally. “It is never too late to introduce Christ into a child’s life,” said Peter. “This seed is extremely important and will carry them throughout their lives.”

“Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
For he does not enjoy hurting people
or causing them sorrow.”
—Lamentations 3:32-33 (NLT)