‘I was praying it wouldn’t get worse’: Tang Miaoling reveals daughter had scoliosis at age 12

Local actress Tang Miaoling revealed that her daughter Megan had scoliosis, a condition where the normally straight spine curves to form a C or S shape.

In a video interview with Health Insured SG uploaded to Instagram yesterday (Oct 21), the 55-year-old shared that the diagnosis happened during Megan’s health check in Primary 6.

At the time, her scoliosis was mild and only required monitoring.

“When I knew that she had scoliosis, I was really hoping, praying that it wouldn’t get worse,” said Miaoling.

However after two years, her spine’s degree of curvature progressed.

“At the time, she was still growing. The doctors foresaw that when her growth spurt happened, her scoliosis would progress drastically,” she explained, adding that her daughter wore a back brace for two years until the age of 15.

She’s now 25.

Later on, Miaoling had to decide between letting Megan continue with conservative treatment using a back brace and proceeding with surgery.

“I was worried because it was a major surgery… How would it impact her life after that? Would she be able to bend down and tie her shoelaces?” said Miaoling.

The family eventually decided that spinal fusion surgery was the best option.

Miaoling also revealed, because she didn’t think then that “young kids needed full coverage”, she didn’t buy an insurance rider for her children and had to pay around $9,000 out of pocket for follow-up consultations.

A rider is an optional add-on to an insurance policy offering additional coverage at an added price.

She added that she immediately insured both of her daughter and son with a rider after the surgery.

“Because my daughter already had a pre-existing condition, it would be excluded from the coverage. I felt that was kind of a setback,” she said.

It’s been five years since Megan’s surgery, and Miaoling said the family is now able to do physical activities together without limitations from the surgery.