Description
People are surprised when they find out that I sell things on the internet, that I love making friends, and that I've spoken to Hong Kong singer Andy Lau in person. They probably wouldn't find anything out of the ordinary about the first two points in most cases. So why are people surprised? I think it's because people don't expect someone with my physical limitations to be so much like any able- bodied person.
Since birth, I've never been able to walk or stand. As a toddler, I was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 2. Having this condition means that my muscles will get weaker over time. The type number refers to the onset of symptoms and the severity. Type 1 is the most severe, with symptoms beginning at birth; Type 2, around 12 months; Type 3, in late childhood; and Type 4, in adulthood.
I was born in May 1980. Mother was due to deliver me by the end of April but I was so comfortable inside her that I didn't come out until two weeks later. It was a natural birth. Mother told me that I had to be helped to cry after I was delivered. I was labelled a blue baby but recovered quickly. Both Mother and I were discharged the next day.
At 18 months, I had a very high fever. Mother rushed me to a paediatric hospital in Tanjong Pagar- the former St Andrew's Mission Hospital for Women and Children. The building was really old and the lift had collapsible iron gates instead of automated doors. I stayed there for two weeks but did not get better. I was then transferred to Singapore General Hospital (SGH), where the doctors discovered that I had a lung infection.
After that first incident, I continued to have high fevers frequently and was constantly in and out of hospital. The doctors at SGH started to conduct tests to find the cause. They suspected SMA and did an electromyography (EMG) test, which measures the electrical activity of the muscles in our body. After multiple EMG tests, the doctors confirmed that I had SMA. I was just 2/2 years old.
