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Actor Mark Lee gets emotional talking about daughter’s past health scare

He recounted on the talk show The Inner Circle how his then five-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, and he had to stay strong for his wife.

Actor Mark Lee gets emotional talking about daughter’s past health scare

Mark Lee gets emotional while on The Inner Circle. (Photo: Screengrab from meWATCH)

All parents wish for their children to be happy and healthy. Unfortunately, Singaporean actor Mark Lee had to go through the heartache of seeing his daughter in the hospital as she was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease when she was just five.

The actor-comedian, who’s usually very cheerful on-screen, got emotional on the latest episode of Mediacorp talk show The Inner Circle on Wednesday (Apr 21) when talking about his youngest daughter’s kidney disease. He even broke down several times while recounting the story. 

Young Calynn was diagnosed with glomerulonephritis in 2018 when she was five years old.

Mark recounted the day at the hospital when samples had to be taken from his daughter’s kidney to determine the seriousness of her disease to see if it was a chronic or acute condition – with the worst case scenario being that both her kidneys would fail within nine months. 

Mark Lee and his family. (Photo: Instagram/marklee4444)

Lee admitted that he had to stay strong for his wife as they both watched the needle being inserted into their daughter’s kidney. “If I wasn't strong, she would have fallen apart, so I held back my tears,” he said.

The 52-year-old father got emotional when he told host Guo Liang that he had to rush to the hospital before his daughter was sedated for the procedure, just in case it was his last chance to see her. It was one of the toughest challenges for him as he was also directing his first movie, Make It Big Big, during that period.

"I think this is the saddest part of being in the movie industry," the veteran actor said. "We were in a rush and many companies had invested in the movie, so I was definitely under a lot of pressure." 

Mark didn’t want to burden his wife with his worries and added that he’s not someone who usually confides in others about unhappy things. “I was sad, but I think my wife had it even harder. After all, she did carry Calynn in her body for nine months.”

Thankfully, his daughter, now seven years old, got her disease under control within three months of treatment. Mark’s family, including his daughter, appeared as special guests on the talk show, with everyone looking healthy and cheerful.

The loving father closed the show by telling his children: “Your studies are important, but your health should come first. I want you to grow up healthy and remember how good I am to you.” 

Source: CNA/sr

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