Yvonne Foong: Fighting NF

My friend Holly Alonzo in Arkansas has been trying to raise funds for her Auditory Brainstem Implant. Some tried helping her. Holly made some effort herself. But after more than a year, Holly is still no where close to raising the funds. She has NF, totally blind and now deaf too. Her hearing deteriorated to the point that she can scarcely hear. There is something which I have wanted to tell Holly. Reading her present frustrations at http://www.hollyalonzo.com I figured that I could try to convey it through my Amway story, so here it is. I hope that this story will help Holly and others in similar circumstances.

     I was in danger of losing my eyesight and had to raise funds for Gamma Knife Radiosurgery in January 2009. After releasing the Heart4Hope Ambigram t-shirt design, NTV7 invited me to talk about my fundraising efforts on The Breakfast Show. I met two other guests at the TV station while waiting for my turn to go on air. As they watched me on screen from the waiting room, two ladies by the name of C and L were moved and decided to support my efforts. They bought a tee on the spot and exchanged contacts too.

     Days later, L e-mailed to say that she and C were organizing a financial analysis seminar. They invited me to sell my t-shirts and books there. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity. One of their guests was a man by the name of Mr. Khoo. Later, C and L said that Mr. Khoo was going to have a large conference in Genting Highlands and welcomed me to raise funds there.

     I met with C and L again one day to discuss the preparations. Along the way, they suggested me to bring 500 t-shirts because there was going to be 500 attendees at the conference. But I resisted this idea because, by experience, not everyone will buy a tee and some will donate without buying. But I was cut off. C advised me not to be stubborn and learn to listen. She said that this was a one-off opportunity to mean that we should seize it. I was evidently not pleased by the way she commented on my behavior in public but C went on to say that being stubborn was not entirely a bad thing. This character was what brought me this far. But it no longer serves me now. I must learn to let others help me.

     To top it off, she believed that was something God wanted me to hear.

     I don’t know if it was really God speaking but my own irritation with this episode made it all the more impressionable.

     It turned out that I didn’t bring as many as 500 t-shirts but we raised RM45,000.00 anyway.

     At our preparatory meeting, L briefly explained what this conference was about. These people formed a business network called CA Success Associates where Amway distributors come together to provide each other support. She added that I may consider Amway as a means to raise funds if I want to but right now, I should go for my surgery first.

     At the mention of Amway, my mind immediately put up a barrier so that I never gave L’s words a second thought.

     I went for the Gamma Knife Radiosurgery on March 8th and returned with vision better than before.

     Upon my return to Malaysia, I tried contacting C and L to update them on my progress but for reasons still unknown to me, I never got a reply. So I moved on and focused on raising funds for yet another surgery that took place in May 2009.

     Returning from the May surgery, I went back to college and survived another semester. Once that ended in August, I started raising funds again for still another brain surgery scheduled to take place in December 2009.

     When my need for surgery was publicized this time, a lecturer from Taylor’s College extended an invitation so that I could raise funds at an event they were organizing. Together with my friends, we manned a booth selling t-shirts and books under a canopy that hot afternoon.

     Students came and went, a couple of t-shirts were sold by 11:00am. I stood quietly to myself as my friend attended to some buyers when suddenly, a fair looking young man approached and caught my attention. He introduced himself and said he came to see me because he had something to share. “It’s Amway” he said gently and offered his namecard. At the sight of the words “CA Success Associates”, I blurted out in surprise. “Oh! I know C, L and Mr. Khoo!”

     This man by the name Tiam Loong was surprised himself that I knew them. He further asked if we may meet up some time so that he could share what he intended to share.

     On hearing this, my guards went up and trying to be as nice as I could, I said that I was willing to hear him out but I already had too much on my plate for another business venture. Tiam Loong did not defend himself or offer any more suggestion. Just then, a group of students appeared and I attended to them for a good 20 minutes. When they left, I realized that Tiam Loong had stayed behind so we chatted lightly for a while more before he excused himself.

     That evening, I took out the namecards that others had given me earlier and sent emails to thank them for supporting. Memories of my short meeting with Tiam Loong hung at the back walls of my mind so that when I found his namecard again, C’s words came back.

     “Don’t be stubborn, learn to listen and let others help you”.

     I sent an e-mail to Tiam Loong and asked to meet up.

     Two days later, I found myself seated in an empty college classroom while he calmly explained everything and made sure I understood. I went to the meeting without any expectation while still believing that I was too tied up for another business venture. But oddly enough, more and more of my defenses were broken down as Tiam Loong explained and my repressed emotions came back to me. Just then, I remembered there were so much I had always wanted to do if only I get the chance. But fundraising for surgery tired me so, I had little energy left for much else.

     I knew then that I should give myself a chance to be helped and give others a chance to help me. That instant, I decided to put faith on this business, on this benign-looking man and go with my heart.

     I asked him what I should do next in order to join.

     As you now know, my Amway business is taking flight pretty well. People who have been supporting my Heart4Hope project are accepting my Amway business too. So as not to confuse people, I make it a point to tell others that Heart4Hope is for my healthcare while the Amway business is for my other financial needs. Luckily, people empathize and very naturally support my decision much to my relief.

     Looking back at the sequence of events, I cannot deny that there is a Higher Being and Ordainer. Because had it been C and L who shared the business opportunity with me, or even Mr. Khoo himself, I would have set my guards all the way up and walked right off. It so happened to be the soft spoken, unassuming Tiam Loong who made the deed. He had no idea about my prior acquaintance with CA Success Associates. In fact, those within the network I saw in Genting had lost all news of me until I met Tiam Loong.

     Hence, I gained a friend and priceless business partner when my heart decided to take a rest, open up and give ourselves a chance.

     I feel so much happier today.

Portrait of Tan Tiam Loong and Yvonne Foong. Photography by Cheryl Leong