23yo Student Initially Diagnosed with Flu, Dies After Viral Infection Triggered Rare Cancer

At 23 years old, swimming instructor Benedict James Naden Lim was a fit young man in the prime of his life. However, he tragically died just two and a half months after he was first diagnosed as having a common flu that was actually a viral infection.

Source: facebook

According to Straits Times, the young man was a student at Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) and swam competitively for them. He also had a strict fitness regimen and in mid-June, he fell ill with symptoms of the common flu, including rashes and fever.

Benedict visited the doctor, who diagnosed him with the flu as well, but his condition deteriorated even after taking medication. He had to be sent to the hospital’s emergency department in July where he was finally diagnosed with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which can show symptoms that are similar to the common flu. 

Source: obituaries sg

WebMD states that this virus can cause mononucleosis and usually clears up on its own after four to six weeks. There is no medicine or vaccine that can treat EBV, but treatment generally consists of easing the symptoms. However, in Benedict’s case, EBV triggered other diseases, and he was diagnosed with a rare immune disorder known as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

Three weeks after he was admitted into the hospital, his condition worsened even further and he was also diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of cancer which is linked to EBV. His father, Benjamin Naden, 52, told the daily that when Benedict was hospitalised, the doctors discovered that his son’s organs, including the liver and kidneys, were declining. There was also water in his lungs but Benedict remained optimistic that he could beat the infection.

Source: zaobao

The student, who was supposed to graduate in May 2020 took a turn for the better at first, as his organ functions stabilised and blood test results improved, but he relapsed quickly after. Tests showed that his brain and heart were weakening and last Saturday (31st August), Benedict had a seizure and bleeding in his brain which required surgery.

His father also posted on social media on Friday (30th August), asking the public to donate blood to the national blood bank as supply was running low and his son needed it for his cranial surgery. Sadly, he died on Saturday afternoon just an hour after his surgery. Benjamin urges other people not to dismiss symptoms of the common flu lightly and advises them to see a doctor if they have flu for more than three days.

RIP, Benedict. 

Also read: Doctor Warns That Flu Season is Coming & The Highly Infectious Virus is Easily Spread in An Office