Samuel Lim Hong Xiang, Age 20
My name is Lim Hong Xiang Samuel. I have speech impairment and I am unable to eat and drink like most people. When I was 3 months old, I was forced fed acid by one of my domestic helpers, which damaged my oesophagus and upper airway. I now breathe through a tracheostomy* and all of my feeds are through a gastrostomy^. I have had several episodes of intestinal obstructions due to the multiple abdominal surgeries I had in the past. Doctors have plans for a surgical reconstruction of my larynx and upper gastrointestinal tract in the near future.
Despite the slight difference in my physique, my parents raised me like a normal child. They brought me everywhere when I was young, picked up sign language with me when I was 2 years old and enrolled me for piano lessons at the age of 7. They wanted me to socialise with other children very confidently.
I vividly remember my first Talent Development Fund (TDF) concert with Club Rainbow at 9 years old. I found my love on stage playing the piano and that performance motivated me to continue searching for new songs to practise and perform. I look forward every year to the TDF concert. Both the TDF and Education Awards presented by Club Rainbow have helped to build my confidence in a very special way. In the same year that I picked up piano, I started learning guzheng, a Chinese instrument, by signing up for lessons at the community centre located near my house. Since then, I have continued playing guzheng in school as a Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) and I take part in various performances every year.
Currently pursuing my Grade 8 assessment in piano and guzheng, my eventual goal is to obtain a diploma in both instruments.. I am a year 1 student studying in Nanyang Junior College and taking up a hybrid stream of H2 Chemistry, Mathematics, English Language and Linguistics and H1 Economics. It has been hard transitioning from secondary school to junior college. It is extremely demoralising and frustrating at times, especially when I have difficulty understanding certain topics and when I struggle to answer “supposedly” easy tutorial questions. There is also additional stress from peer competition and from repeatedly failing tests. To relieve some of the stress that is built up during school, I have joined my school’s guzheng ensemble.
My passion for music has brought me to appreciate the numerous lessons and practices I have because they help relax my mind and dispel my lethargy. Music has always succeeded in helping me convey my emotions, more so because I am unable to speak normally. It helps to dissipate any unhappiness I feel, calms me down and keeps me refreshed and centred.
Most importantly, my family and friends have been the pillars of my strength. They have encouraged me to survive and press on. Knowing that I can always fall back on my family and friends is always reassuring, because I know that they will always be standing behind me every step of the way, supporting me.
I got to know some of my closest friends through Club Rainbow when we attended Camp Rainbow, an annual camp that I look forward to attending every year. Through the years of attending numerous camps, we have become inseparable. We often meet outside of camp to catch up and celebrate one another’s birthdays. Some of us are even willing to volunteer to help out in the camp despite our hectic schedules as we want to give back because we are grateful with what we have
Club Rainbow has helped me so much, and I would really like to express my thanks and gratitude. I wish that Club Rainbow will continue to lend a helping hand to other chronically ill children and impact their lives, just as it has left an imprint on mine. I would also like to congratulate Club Rainbow on its 25th anniversary milestone.
For all the children out there, just remember that there will always be light in the darkness; and a pretty rainbow after a storm, so don’t ever think of giving up!
Tracheostomy* is a surgically created hole at the front of the neck and into the windpipe (trachea). A tracheostomy provides an air passage to help in breathing when the usual route for breathing is somehow obstructed or impaired.
Gastrostomy^ is a surgical opening through the abdomen into the stomach. A feeding device is inserted through this opening, allowing the patient to be fed directly into their stomach, bypassing the mouth and throat.
#Article was written and first published in 2017. Information in the article was accurate at the point of writing.