‘You’re already a winner’: Boy with leukaemia takes PSLE while undergoing chemo, Singapore News

25/11/2025 3 Views

As he was gearing up for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), Azaan Khan Mohamed Rafi Khan seemed to have it all — rugby captain, student councillor and a math whiz.

But it all came crashing down when the 12-year-old was diagnosed with leukaemia, a cancer of the blood, in May.

Still, the Primary 6 student beat all odds to score 14 points for his PSLE.

Speaking to AsiaOne after receiving his results on Tuesday (Nov 25), Azaan and his parents shared about his cancer journey and his aspirations for the future.

Although Azaan expressed slight disappointment with his results, as he was aiming for a top school in the east, his parents comforted and praised him for doing his best.

His diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia had shattered his hopes of applying for a direct school admission based on sports. He was also looking forward to competing in the national school rugby championships.

While his parents had considered letting Azaan take his PSLE next year, they were concerned about how it would affect his future.

Azaan was the captain of Bedok Green Primary School’s rugby team and represented his school at the National School Games Senior Boys — League 2.

He also competed in prestigious Mathematics competitions in 2025 — including the Asia-Pacific Mathematics Olympiad, the Raffles Mathematical Olympiad, and the Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad.

Ultimately, Azaan decided to take his PSLE instead of deferring it by a year. His form teacher, June Lee, held hybrid lessons while he underwent chemotherapy.

As he recalled the times he had to study in hospital during treatment, Azaan broke down in tears.

Asked what scared him the most during treatment, he said: “Needles, because I can’t stand the pain.”

Azaan is currently undergoing chemotherapy, which is scheduled to be completed in March 2026. Thereafter, he would be put on oral medication, shared his mother.

Azaan’s father, Mohamed Rafi Khan, a 37-year-old technical officer, said when his son first started showing signs of fatigue, he had assumed it was because of his studies.

But as the boy’s health did not improve over time, his mother, Siti Noraini, a 38-year-old senior staff nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, suggested getting a medical exam.

A trip to the emergency department at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and a few blood tests later, the family received the shocking diagnosis.

Aside from changes in his diet and daily routine, Azaan also lost more than 10kg, weighing around 38kg at his lightest.

To accommodate Azaan’s condition, the family bought a wheelchair and also installed handrails in the toilet, shared Rafi.

When asked what he missed most about school, Azaan chose his recess time as “that is a time I can play with all my friends, have meals with them and play sports.”

Azaan also shared that he is excited to begin secondary school. But instead of continuing with rugby, he plans to try his hand at a new sport: Badminton.

Results aside, Azaan had little time to celebrate this milestone and mingle with his friend as he had to rush off for his chemotherapy appointment.

“We have been telling him days before the results, ‘No matter what it is, you are already a winner to us. You going through the treatment itself, we are already happy because you did it willingly’,” said Noraini.

“Based on the situation … I believe this is good enough. We are proud of you.”

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esther.lam@asiaone.com

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