Who was Jan Catherine Sy? SM tycoon Henry Sy Sr's granddaughter dies at 29, was surviving on 'antibiotics, steroids'
Jan Catherine Sy, who was Henry Sy Senior's grandaughter and Henry Sy Junior's daughter, died at the age of 29 on Thursday, March 18. The news was shared by her family on Facebook and her close ones have been sharing condolence messages.
Jan's father Sy Junior is the chairman of SM Prime Holdings and Jan was once the SM Development Corp. project director. Jan's grandfather Sy Sr, who had founded SM Investments died at the age of 96 in January 2019.
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What is the cause of Jan Catherine Sy's death?
Jan's death at the age of 29 was sudden. According to media reports, doctors considered Leptospirosis from bacterial infection as the “highest possibility” for the illness. The family had shared a statement with friends and family even when Jan had been admitted to the hospital and at that time, they had revealed that Covid-19, hepatitis, dengue, and malaria had been ruled out by doctors.
The statement said, "They are still not sure what this is, but the highest possibility is that it is bacterial infection that resulted in leptospirosis. This is possible if even a small cut that can go unnoticed is made." It was also added that “no signs of a disease” or virus brewing had been visible in Jan and that she was “young and strong.”
The family also shared that before her death, she was given three strong antibiotics to try to kill the bacteria, and was also given steroids.
Who was Jan Catherine beyond the SM conglomerate?
Jan Catherine was the granddaughter of SM tycoon Ty Sr and beyond that, she also worked as SM Development Corp. project director once. But beyond her connection to one of the biggest publicly-traded company in the Philippines, she was a devout Christian who has always been an equestrian. She started competing locally at the age of 13 and in many interviews, she had also said that horses were her "top priority".
Jan was also expected to get married in April 2021. Sharing the news, her family had said, "Dear Family and Friends, Tonight, March 18, 2021, at 6.35 pm
our dearest daughter Jan Catherine Sy is now with the Lord Jesus already. Blessed be the name of the LORD. You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Lord, BLESSED BE YOUR NAME! - Uncle Henry and Auntie Princess."
Karlo Tan, who had shared the news, wrote, "A few words from me: Jan loved you all so much. Even if she didn’t get to meet all of you, she loved you all so much. She had a heart for the poor. She had a heart for the broken. She had a heart for anyone and everyone that came into her life. She would want you to know and believe one thing...that with Jesus there is life, life abundantly and life to the fullest. This is the life Jan is experiencing now with Jesus and we know she is celebrating with Him."
He then added, "We know that God is good. We know that there’s pain in this moment but the joy we have in Christ is beautiful. God’s purpose for Jan is more powerful than anything we can hope to imagine. She lived a life with Jesus for Jesus. And she would want you to too."