Bandar Seri Begawan - Nancy Tea Ai Seng, a former national athlete, who was active in the field of athletics from the 1980's until her retirement in 2009 is currently in RIPAS Hospital receiving treatment for a spine and foot injury.

Nancy has represented the country and won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in international as well as national sporting events.

In 1999, when Brunei Darussalam hosted the SEA Games, Nancy became a national hero when she won both the Silver and Bronze medals in athletics. She was also a coach with the Youth and Sports Department ( JBS) for nearly 20 years before retiring in 2009. After her retirement, she accepted a teaching position at Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) in BSB.

Now she is seeking assistance from relevant authorities to cover her medical expenses, and seeks treatment from a specialist.

In an interview with the Bulletin, Nancy said that, on June 19 while teaching at the school she reported feeling numbness in her feet. On advice of the school principal she went to the hospital but was told that all was normal. But fearing that something was amiss, she went for a second opinion in Malaysia. Upon a medical inspection, doctors there said that her L2 and L3 spine bone were broken and that she must undergo urgent surgery.

Following the doctors' advice she successfully underwent surgery at a medical centre in Kuching, Sarawak on her own expense as well as donations from students and teachers of CHMS. However, two weeks ago she started losing all sensation in her feet, for which she has since been admitted to the RIPAS Hospital.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin