Stories to Inspire
Liew Chong Choon
My thoughts
SPD-Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Scholar Liew Chong Choon has Spinal Muscular Dystrophy. He is a 2nd year Business Management student at the Singapore Management University. He shares his thoughts on his disability in this article.
I have been a wheelchair-user since birth, and probably have not experienced many things that my non-disabled counterparts may take for granted. Although that is so, I surprise even myself when I realize that I don’t ever remember being saddened by my disabilities.
Once, while watching my friends play football, a teacher asked me whether I envied them. My answer was a ‘No!’ – quite the opposite reaction from what people would expect. After all, I was not having fun or enjoying myself like my friends were doing.
Because I have never experienced the ‘joy’ of playing soccer, I don’t think I can ever understand how people enjoy playing football. Playing under a hot sun, getting dirty, sweaty and injured is not my definition of enjoyment. A person can only make an accurate comparison when he has experienced the event himself.
In my view, being disabled from the start is better than being disabled later in life because it frees a person from comparison. That does not mean that I enjoy being disabled. If I had a choice I would not want to be so, but it is not up to me to decide. My point is, I do not feel I lack anything or am very different from others. After all l have everything in life that I need – family, friends, a good education and more.
Since young, my mum has always stressed to me the importance of a proper education but that did not register in me till I was in Primary 6. I started paying close attention to my studies and for some unknown reason, I had managed to get into the top five of my cohort. I really liked the feeling! The strong sense of accomplishment drove me to work even harder.
But as I became more mature, I started to search for an answer to what really drives me. Then I realized that I studied because I wanted to find a job in the future, and to give myself a better future. There are endless opportunities to financial independence, like being able to purchase a car and travel independently without relying on others.
I also wanted to be in a position to be able to help others. I could be a role model for less privileged children and impart to them the importance of perseverance and determination, to inspire in others the hope that nothing is impossible. That is why I signed up as a mentor to help fellow students.
Being disabled has allowed me to appreciate life more than others. I cannot understand why some people can commit suicide over small setbacks when life is so precious. I think that if one faces his obstacles bravely and overcome it, surely he will become a better person.
In a lifetime, there will always be ups and downs. My advice is to enjoy what you have while things are smooth, but do not take it for granted. When challenges come, face them. Living life this way will make life exciting and fulfilling for all.