Blaze turns 15 this year, but his journey here has been everything but smooth sailing.
At age 2, the doctor diagnosed him with epilepsy and Angelman syndrome, which up till this day continue to limit and impair his neurologic abilities. He relies heavily on his mother, Mdm Irene Wong, who is the primary caregiver. Additionally, Blaze’s neurological disorders have led to difficulties throughout the night, where Mdm Wong is required to hold his hands due to her worries that anything might happen. Hospital visits are as frequent as once every two months, and he has been on medication his whole life.
Thankfully, much pressure has lifted off Mdm Wong’s shoulders ever since she joined Club Rainbow. At first, Mdm Wong was afraid of going out due to the judgement she might receive from the general public. Blaze’s conditions were “invisible”, causing him to look normal despite having special needs, leading to stares and stark comments from outsiders.
This led to Mdm Wong being ashamed of her son’s conditions and hiding the fact that Blaze was a special needs child. Such judgement has been further aggregated by COVID-19, where people judge Blaze as he cannot wear masks in public areas due to his medical conditions. However, she reached a turning point when someone asked her if her boy could be posted on social media, helping raise awareness for children like himself. Ever since Mdm Wong has been going out on frequent outings that Club Rainbow organises for its beneficiaries. “I am very thankful that such outings have been organised as my boy can go out to enjoy for a while,” she said. Additionally, since joining Club Rainbow, many people have reached out and asked if she needed support. She is truly thankful for such people, as she needed to talk to people in the same situation as herself - caring for a child with special needs.
Until now, Mdm Wong believes that no one will believe that her son is special needs and will still think she is trying to be funny. When she asked for help, people scolded her and said that she was lying, taking advantage of her kid’s illness to get donations. However, when Mdm Wong was asked if she required financial support, she rejected it and felt that others might be struggling during the pandemic and may not afford to give, so she hopes they keep the money for themselves and offer kindness. She will definitely be more comfortable if more people welcome her and listen out to her. Instead, she hopes for positivity and kindness from the general public, a smile or a friendly gesture would suffice. Such moral comfort will be comforting, and encouragement would help give her the strength to carry on.
Blaze’s fits have been less frequent ever since he turned 13, and he has no issues in school, spreading positivity. Seeing her son happy, Mdm Wong naturally feels happy too.