SINGAPORE: “The feeling of missing her doesn’t go away. That’s the hardest part – I don’t think that will ever fully go away.”
Lee's voice broke slightly as she spoke about her younger sister. Paying tribute to her, she said her younger sister was “wise beyond her years, even though she was 18”. Victoria was close to Lee, her husband Bruno Pucci and their two-year-old daughter Ava. When Ava was born, her parents decided that they wanted Victoria to be her godmother.
Her job is in stark contrast with opening up about weaknesses or struggles, said Lee. As a fighter, you are taught not to show any vulnerability – “we put up this shield or this mask”, she added. “I told him ‘I am so thankful that you asked me’ … as difficult as it was to answer, that’s what I was needing,” she said.“Through it all, very patient, not forcing me to speak more than I was ready to. But when I was ready to speak, he was there to listen.
Since her revelations last week, she has received countless messages from family and strangers as well, with many sharing their own struggles with mental health.“If I’m going to be that voice that says, ‘Hey your story matters, and it’s important and it can help someone else’, then I need to take that first step,” she explained.Lee's car crash and Victoria’s death spurred her to set up non-profit organisation Fightstory.