Yvonne Foong

Many have asked how do I persevere until this far. I often give the glory to God, but I also say that without support from the public, I might have given up already. That’s really true. I found myself fairly disgruntled in the past week, until rejuvenation occured today.

My collegemate, Daniel Gan, arranged for me to speak to some Alpha Omega homeschoolers.

Daniel picked me up from home (such a gem isn’t he?) and we went for lunch at some mamak stall before the session began.

It was lunchtime, so the children were scattered and lazying around, must have been hard digesting those food. Right after the Chapel service, was my show that lasted more than an hour. I’m still not good at keeping time.

I was surprised at seeing how attentive and enthusiastic they were. This was my first time speaking to students below 18, so I was a little worried about not appearing impressive. I wondered about the level of English I should speak, and the manner in which I should present myself. I didn’t want to get long winded, thinking that children usually have shorter attention span.

But as it turned out, the response was far better than my expectations. They paid 101% attention, and even asked the kind of questions beyond their age. They were willing to come forward and write the questions for me without fear.

I talked about battling NF as a teenager, how I was forced to give up my passions, living with this incurable ilness amidst peer pressure, facing inner demons and pursued my dreams nevertheless.

Immediately after the Q&A session, a crowd of children soon formed around me. They looked on enthusiastically while someone wrote their questions to me. They introduced their names, said words of encouragements, asked questions pertaining to my illness and even my faith, while some just looked on in awe.

Many have donated and bought the shirts, but what touched me most were their keen interest and enthusiasm. They stood before me without prejudice, ego, or resentment. With innocent looking eyes, I could feel their kindness and warmth.

I told them to believe in dreams. Think far and not be short-sighted. I wanted to take them all into my arms, but that would have been too personal for a first meeting. Even now when I recall this 12 year old girl looking up at me with a pair of innocent eyes, I feel so touched and cared for. Maybe she didn’t know what to say, so she just looked on while the elder ones wrote to me.

God bless their soul. Children are indeed remarkable. In order to change a society for the better, go for the children.

Thank you Daniel Gan and everyone else for everything. God bless you all!

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