Archive of "Aids doctor thanks mum", The Straits Times, 12 May 1985

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Aids doctor thanks mum

By HEDWIG ALFRED

SHE gave her son full moral support as he laboured in his laboratory night after night studying the deadly Aids virus.

Doting mother Rose Sharma, 62, also read up on the disease so that she could discuss her son’s research with him.

And she prayed — day and night for months — that he would not contract the killer disease.

Today, Dr K.V. Ratnam, her only son. pays tribute to her in a Mother’s Day classifieds ad Dr Ratnam, the man who discovered Singapore’s first three cases of Aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), thanks his “great, wonderful mum,’ for standing by him as he "peered and poked, scraped and tested for the dreaded HTLV3 virus, to nip it in the bud before it reached our lovely shore.”

DR RATNAM: Gratehi to his mum lor her prayers, help and support

"Now that I’ve found it, I'm sure it will be contained But without your prayers, help and support," he tells his mother, his efforts "would never have been successful”

He was one of 50 people who sent in a Mother’s Day classified A pleased Madam Sharma said of Dr Ratnam.

MRS THOMAS: Her daughter wins her a set of jewelery

"He is my only son and he has devoted his entire life to medicine, so it is only right that I devote my life to him.

"I have had sleepless mghts worrying about him working with the killer virus And I also worry that he overworks.”

Dr Ratnam. a 34-year-old bachelor, is an immunologist at Middle Road Hospital. He began his Aids research last May.

His mother, a former teacher, added: "Because of his research, he has no time for his first love, tennis. And he loves to go to the disco but has no time for that too. He is so busy, he has been left out of SDU activities,” she said, of the Government’s matchmaking agency.

Twenty prizes were award- I ed to tributes in the Mother s i Day promotion, jointly organised by CATS and Lee Heng j Jewellers.

A 17-year-old student Annie 1 Thomas won a $900 sapphire and diamond set for her housewife mother, Mrs Teresa Thomas, 38.

Annie said of her mother: "You explain every decision and listen to my opinion ” She was a friend she could talk to and share her deepest thoughts with.

"Mother, you love me for my virtues and better still you love me despite my faults ”

=See also=
 * Archive of "Three in S’pore found with Aids-linked virus", The Straits Times, 10 April 1985
 * Archive of "Aids virus: Doctor who 'found it'", The Sunday Times, 14 April 1985
 * Archive of "Aids on ‘must report’ list", The Straits Times, 17 April 1985
 * Archive of "Undergrads to be taught about Aids", The Straits Times, 21 April 1885
 * Archive of "16 more may be carriers of Aids virus", The Straits Times, 30 April 1985
 * Archive of "Special lab to do Aids tests soon", The Straits Times, 18 May 1985
 * Archive of "Man with Aids related virus in hospital", The Straits Times, 21 July 1985
 * Archive of "Ministry steps up Aids drive", The Straits Times, 5 September 1985
 * Archive of "S’pore-Stanford research tie-up bid", The Straits Times, 10 October 1985
 * Archive of "Aids: 20,000 cleared", The Straits Times, 29 November 1985
 * Archive of "Screening tests likely to uncover more Aids carriers", The Straits Times, 1 May 1986
 * Archive of "Aids claims first victim here", The Straits Times, 11 April 1987
 * Archive of "Fear of Aids pushes up condom sales", The Straits Times, 19 April 1987
 * Archive of "Govt dental clinics phasing out boiling", The Straits Times, 1 October 1987
 * Earliest cases of HIV/AIDS in Singapore
 * HIV/AIDS in Singapore's LGBT community
 * Paddy Chew
 * Avin Tan
 * Ajmal Khan
 * Calvin Tan
 * Adrian Tyler

=References=
 * Hedwig Alfred], "Aids doctor thanks mum", [[The Straits Times, 12 May 1985[].

=Acknowledgements=

This article was archived by Roy Tan.