Singaporean entrepreneur Viaano Spruyt was building a future 4,000 miles away when a single phone call dismantled his long-term plans. Living on Australia’s Gold Coast, the then-22-year-old had earned a psychology degree, entered a serious relationship, and was in the process of applying for permanent residency. His ambition was to become a clinical psychologist, with a master’s degree as his next academic step.
However, the trajectory of his life shifted in 2022 when his mother, now 61, experienced a sudden health crisis in Singapore. While walking to catch a bus for work, her knees gave way, leaving her unable to walk. She sat alone on the pavement for hours, crying and unable to reach her son, before a stranger eventually called for medical assistance. The incident left her wheelchair-bound for several weeks and led to a diagnosis of advanced osteoarthritis in both knees, featuring severe cartilage loss, meniscus damage, and joint degeneration.
For Spruyt, now 29, the decision to return home was rooted in a history of family responsibility. As a teenager, he had served as the primary caregiver for his father, who suffered from an incurable respiratory disease and required a daily oxygen tank. As the oldest child and only son, Spruyt managed his father’s meals and hospital appointments until his father passed away when Spruyt was 19.
When his mother’s health failed, he recognized the familiar call to duty. Although he had a younger sister, she was facing final exams and an internship at the time of their mother’s collapse. Spruyt realized his family needed him on-site rather than thousands of miles away. Moving back to Singapore in 2022 became what he describes as the hardest decision of his life, as it required abandoning the life he had spent three years assimilating into in Australia.
The transition carried significant personal costs. His Australian girlfriend moved to Singapore for a few months to attempt to maintain their relationship, but the couple eventually broke up when they realized they could not build a life together there. Spruyt also shifted away from his original career path in clinical psychology.
In the wake of his return, Spruyt co-founded Huddle, an AI-powered social network for fandoms, with a partner named Fabian. His current daily life is a rigid balance between growing his startup and managing the healthcare needs of his mother and his grandparents, who are now in their 80s. He coordinates their treatments, handles hospital visits, and manages the household to allow his sister to focus on her university studies.
While Spruyt eventually hopes to move to the United States to scale his company, he remains committed to his current role as a caregiver. He noted that he chooses to have no other major commitments outside of work and family, providing him the flexibility to respond whenever his relatives require support. Despite the sacrifices made in Australia, Spruyt maintains that he would make the same choice to return for his mother again.
