Moved Abroad to Pursue a Dream, Then Mom’s Health Scare Brought Me Home

A caregiving role began early

As a teenager, Spruyt helped care for his father, who had an incurable respiratory disease and relied on an oxygen tank. His mother was the family’s sole breadwinner, and his younger sister was too young to understand the situation. Spruyt helped his father with meals and hospital visits around Singapore.

His father died when Spruyt was 19. At 22, Spruyt moved to Australia’s Gold Coast on a scholarship, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and pursued his ambition of becoming a clinical psychologist.

Building a life in Australia

Over three years, Spruyt established a life in Australia. He was in a serious relationship, planned to pursue a master’s degree and was applying for permanent residency. His family remained in his thoughts, but he wanted to experience life outside Singapore and was building a future there. Then his mother’s health emergency changed his plans.

His mother needed help

While walking to catch a bus to work, Spruyt’s mother’s knees suddenly gave way. She called him repeatedly, but he missed the calls. Unable to walk, she sat alone and cried for hours until a stranger called for help and she was taken to a local hospital.

She used a wheelchair for several weeks. Spruyt’s mother, now 61, has advanced osteoarthritis in both knees, with severe cartilage loss, meniscus damage and joint degeneration. She later told him she wished he had been there.

Returning to Singapore in 2022

The incident reminded Spruyt of his father’s illness. He also worried about his grandparents, who were in their 80s, and decided to leave Australia. He returned to Singapore in 2022 to support his family.

After returning, he started Huddle, an AI-powered social network for fandoms, with his cofounder, Fabian. He hopes to move to the US to grow the company once his mother is doing better, with his younger sister sharing responsibility for their mother’s support.