By Tilly Boateng
For more than two decades, Glenda Chong delivered the news with poise and composure. But off-camera, she was fighting for something far more personal: a chance at motherhood.
Glenda married lawyer Justin Chan in 2014. What followed wasn’t the picture-perfect script. It was a brutal, beautiful, and almost unbelievable journey. Ten rounds of IVF. A decade of needles, hormones, and heartbreak. She smiled for the cameras while carrying the silent ache of hope deferred.
Then came October 2024. Glenda, now 51, announced her pregnancy.
No staged drama. Just a quiet post that exploded with meaning.
It wasn’t just a pregnancy announcement. It was a mic drop. A challenge to the timelines and expectations society places on women. A reminder that resilience doesn’t always roar, sometimes, it just keeps going.
She spoke candidly to Her World Singapore about the rollercoaster of emotional, physical, spiritual journey. Not for attention, but for connection. In a culture that still whispers about infertility, Glenda handed us the megaphone. She gave language to longing and dignity to delay. Her story became every woman’s story.
And then came the letter.
Written to her newborn son, it wasn’t just tender, it was seismic. Every word a love note, every sentence a lesson. It spoke to time lost and time reclaimed. To what it means to wait, want, and finally hold what you’ve been fighting for.
To my dearest baby boy,
The first words I ever said to you were I love you so much, and I’ve waited a decade for you, and I would wait another if I had to.
Know that you are the most precious gift life could ever give me. As an older mother, time may not be as abundant for us as it is for others, but know this: every moment I have, I will spend with you fully, lovingly, and with purpose.
I’ll be your biggest cheerleader through every milestone, even those I may one day miss. My love will always walk beside you.
My greatest hope is that you grow up to be a happy, kind, and generous soul. Be true to who you are. Don’t let the world define you.
Figure out what brings you joy and pursue it. Walk a path of your choosing, not one laid out by me, your father, or anyone else.
I can’t wait to see all the wonderful things you’ll do and become, my love.
And don’t forget to have fun, because you only have one life, and it’s yours to live.
Love always, Your Mommy.
There’s power in how Glenda tells it. No drama. No pity. Just truth.
And it’s a truth that matters.
Because while the world rushes to put women in boxes, (young mother, old mother, too late, too early) Glenda stepped out of all of them. She didn’t just become a mom. She became a symbol that dreams age well, and sometimes the best chapters start late.
To Glenda: Thank you. Not just for the news you’ve delivered, but for this one you lived. For reminding us that love, in all its forms, shows up right on time.
