Ex-SQ stewardess, 38, faces passenger death mid-flight, now dedicates life to helping cancer patients
For many cabin crew, stepping off the aircraft is just the beginning of a new journey.
Introducing Stomp’s new original series, Life After Landing, where we spotlight former flight attendants who have traded the skies for unexpected careers, pursued personal passions or navigated life-changing experiences after leaving the aviation industry.
Three years into flying, former Singapore Airlines (SQ) stewardess Lynn Koh experienced an incident that would give her a renewed appreciation for life.
Before her scheduled break on a flight bound for Auckland, New Zealand, Koh spoke briefly with a middle-aged male passenger who was traveling alone.
“It was just casual chats, you know, it was perfectly fine,” she recounted.
When her break was over, she exited her break room to a harrowing sight: her colleagues performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the same friendly passenger she had been speaking to just an hour ago.
She recalled feeling stunned, but did not have time to process her feelings as she had to continue serving the other passengers as calmly as possible.
She told Stomp that the flight was eventually diverted to Sydney for local authorities to attend to the deceased before the plane could take off again, “unfortunately without the passenger”.
The incident, she said, made her ponder the unpredictability of life — that someone could board a plane, excited to arrive at their destination, and end up dying before they get there.
About a year later, in 2015, she decided to transition from being a cabin crew member to a corporate role within SQ’s loyalty marketing department.
She became part of the team curating events that engaged the airline’s top customers, and would go on to embrace the role for about five years.
Koh made the switch as she wanted to experience what things were like “on the ground”. She confessed that it was a hard decision, but wanted to challenge herself by trying something new.
Despite leaving her flying days behind for a more predictable life in corporate, the incident she experienced on that fateful flight to Sydney stayed with her — later influencing her transition to the social services sector.
Being there through her best friend’s cancer diagnosis
In her current role as the head of community advancement in the Singapore Cancer Society (SCS), Koh leads a team of six in driving fundraising and partnerships for the non-profit organisation. SCS provides cancer support to people through every stage of the cancer journey.
In her interview with Stomp, the 38-year-old said she felt strongly for cancer awareness, in part because her best friend — also in her 30s — is a cancer survivor.
“She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago. She has two very young kids,” Koh shared.
She rallied with a few friends to give her best friend the support she needed during that difficult period.
“We did what we could to be there for her, checking in regularly, making sure she was doing okay, and simply being present whenever she or her family needed us,” she added.
She recalled being moved most by her best friend’s resilience, and how she navigated her condition with “grace and determination”.
Even then, the diagnosis came as a shock to her, as she did not expect someone so young to get cancer.
However, as Koh would eventually learn when she took on her role at SCS, one in four people is at risk of getting cancer before they reach 75 years of age.
The growing incidence of cancer here also led Koh to realise that more can be done to support cancer patients and survivors.
Though she has been working in the public sector for just over eight years with roles in the National Council of Social Services, Agency for Integrated Care and the Football Association of Singapore, her dedication to service began in her undergraduate days.
A passion born in Cambodia
While reading her degree in communications and new media in the National University of Singapore between 2007 and 2010, Koh took part in the Youth Expedition Project, which saw her travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia, annually to volunteer at an orphanage.
On these month-long trips, Koh and her friends taught English, refurbished the compound and even helped to build a house for a family in the village.
These trips did not end just because she graduated from university. In fact, Koh continued visiting the same orphanage yearly — even when she was flying with SQ.
She would plan to take annual leave during the year-end period — “nearer to Christmas, the giving and gifting season” — and organise a trip with a small group of friends.
The group would organise fundraisers or donation drives ahead of their Siem Reap trips, to be able to provide locals with necessities and gifts.
Although she has since stopped going on these trips, owing to a busy work schedule, she still keeps in touch with her former beneficiaries through social media.
“A lot of the girls have grown up and formed their own families,” Koh shared with a fond smile.
Another touching moment took place in Siem Reap some years ago, when Koh was on holiday. She was in a restaurant when she heard a voice go, “Oh, Lynn!”
Koh quickly realised that the voice belonged to a former resident of a girls’ home she had visited. Back then, the young girl was being supported by a programme that encouraged girls in Cambodia to, at minimum, complete their high school education.
“To see her establishing herself, having a job, and being able to recognise me, it’s really heartwarming,” she recounted.
“I never realised that something which may have felt small to me at the time could have left such a lasting impression on someone else.”
‘I’d do it all over again’
Looking back, Koh readily admitted to missing cabin crew life.
“One hundred percent, I miss it every day,” she said, breaking into laughter.
“I always tell my friends, ‘If you ask me whether I’d do it all over again, I will’,” declared Koh.
While she enjoyed her cabin crew days, her passion for social services was simply too strong to ignore.
She felt a pull towards leaving an impact on more people, and understands that the dilemma of giving up the crew life is not a unique experience.
Recently, Koh has been in touch with many flight attendants keen on changing careers, including one she met while she was a passenger on an SQ flight.
The stewardess had wanted to understand the realities of a career transition and the challenges she would face in the process.
Being a former stewardess herself, Koh understood those fears.
“When you’ve been in a familiar environment for some time, the unknown can be scary,” she said.
Koh shared her journey with the flight attendant openly and advised her “not to underestimate what she was capable of beyond the airline”.
The two continued keeping in touch. Koh later found out she had eventually left the airline, and is now doing “very well”.
The encounter opened Koh’s eyes to the importance of mentorship and encouragement.
After her cabin crew stint and an illustrious career across various public sector agencies, the 38-year-old hopes that her story will inspire others.
She hopes to encourage cabin crew members “who are toying with the idea of leaving, but aren’t sure, or afraid, or just need a little push” to see that there’s “a lot more” they can do after flying.
“You don’t necessarily need someone to tell you what to do — sometimes you just need someone to believe in you enough to help you believe in yourself.”
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