I would often fall down and get cuts and bruises. Yet, the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional one. When I bumped into others, many would get annoyed and shout “You blind or what?”
I love playing sports – soccer, basketball, track and field, swimming, cycling, and many others. I have seen the beautiful world – I like travelling, chilling out, watching movies and dramas. Not much different from many of you.
But that changed in 2004. I was diagnosed with an incurable eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). Over time my vision got blurrier and narrower, till it was lost.
Imagine a young man in his 20s, full of high hopes and dreams, stuck by this misfortunate. I was in a state of shock. I kept asking ‘Why me?’ I isolated myself. I didn’t want to get out of my house. I didn’t want to fall down. I didn’t want people’s insults.
One day, something turned my life around. I was awakened by a thunderstorm. I realised I was very hungry, as I hadn’t eaten the whole day. So I took an umbrella and went out to get food. Along the way, I slipped and fell on the concrete, there was blood dripping down my shin. But I was very hungry, so I endured the pain and got my food.
On my way back, I realised something: If you are hungry, you will find a way to get food. If I’m hungry enough, I will find a way to overcome my adversities. I realised I lost my hunger for life.
At that moment, I decided to be hungry for life again. I furthered my studies and graduated with a double degree in IT. Yet, many employers rejected me because of my disability, I failed 12 interviews in 1 year. I was losing my hunger again, getting dejected. But an inner voice told me I must not quit. On the 13th interview, I got accepted to work in a call centre. Within 2.5 years, I was promoted to a team leader and supervisor. In 2014, I was honoured to be a recipient of the Exemplary Employee Award held by the Enabling Employer's Network and SgEnable.
Now when people ask me how I overcome, I tell this story of the thunderstorm. We all face ‘storms’ in life. You may get wet, fall down and ‘bleed’ a little, but if you have the hunger, a desire and a goal, you will always get back up and find a way.
At first, I could not accept my situation. I felt I could no longer do things I love like play sports. I refused to use a walking stick because I was embarrassed. When I finally decided to change, I realized it was not that bad, a lot of fears were in my head. I started loving life again, working at things that made me happy, and got back my self-confidence.
I started playing sports again. I picked up blind football, where there’s a bell in the ball that allows me to locate and kick it. I captained the Singapore team in the 2015 Asean Para Games. I picked up tandem cycling last year too, where there would be a sighted guide in front to steer the bicycle, and I’ll be at the back peddling, like the ‘engine’ of the bike. I love it and train 5 times a week after work.
I also started public speaking, I take leave from work to share my story with students, to inspire them to overcome their struggles. I want to improve as a motivational speaker. My dream is to write a book in 2-3 years time.
It was a proud moment. I never expected it, I just did my best. It felt good that I could bring glory to my country. It means a lot to me, because It’s not just a public victory, but a private one. Behind the medal, is hours of training, but most importantly, the tough struggle and triumph over my disability. After the competition, a reporter asked me to share one line of advice. I said: “Don’t let your disability (both physical and mental) disable your abilities”. If I can do it, I believe you can do it 💪
