Teen's Grit Powers Her Through Cancer to Dance at NDP

This is a series that spotlights rare diseases or unusual conditions.

- Judith Tan

Teenager Sara Grace Kueh had a lump in her right lung removed through keyhole surgery in March, and a month later, the street dancer was back rehearsing for National Day Parade (NDP) 2025.

"Shortly after my surgery, my choreographer texted my mum asking if I could dance during the NDP this year. My mum asked if I was sure about it because she was worried, but I was really looking forward to performing at the NDP," said the 17-year-old tourism student at ITE College West.

No one could keep this whirlwind down, not even her doctors, "so here I am", she said.

The choreographer Sara was referring to was dance instructor Bobby Prayogi from Recognize! Studios, and she will be performing as part of the STNY Brothers dance crew.

The youngest of four children, Sara is a cancer survivor.

At one year old, she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that forms in soft tissues, specifically in muscle cells. There are about 4.5 cases for every one million children and adolescents under the age of 20 globally.

Sara's mother, Mrs Esther Kueh, related how she discovered something was amiss with her daughter: She noticed Sara's left and right nostrils were uneven when breastfeeding her.

"One was rounded, and the other was elongated. When I touched the left side of Sara's face, I felt a lump under the skin close to her nose. She was later diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma," the 52-year-old housewife told The Straits Times.

That was the start of what seemed like a never-ending journey of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy for little Sara.

She was operated on to remove the tumour, before she received chemotherapy and radiation to treat the primary tumour site.

Unfortunately, at 29 months old, Sara suffered a relapse when cancer was found in a lymph node on the left side of her neck.