So yesterday, my friends and I beat the after office hour traffic to raise funds at SEGi University College in Kota Damansara. About 300 participants were expected at the REVOLUTION P.A.R.T.Y. so I packed three bag full of t-shirts and 70 books in total, along with the 12’ pink banner.
Keisha and Yi Liang picked me up and together we crawled our way there. Leit took the charter bus from SEGI Subang Jaya to SEGi Kota Damansara and arrived ahead of us. Tiam Loong’s car was in the workshop so he had to take public transportation from his workplace in Bandar Utama to the PJ Oldtown workshop first, then drive home to get changed before coming to meet us. But after wrestling his way for two hours, determined to show up as promised, he arrived at the wrong campus! It was almost 10pm by the time we realized so we told him not to take the detour. There’s always next time.
When we received approvals to raise funds at this event, I understood that I won’t be giving a speech. And I thought that was okay as long as we have my 12 feet banner with us. But after we settled down, having surveyed the atmosphere and crowd myself, I asked Leit and Kenrick again if I really can’t speak for even five minutes.
Then someone went to ask Ps. D who, to my surprise and relieve, allowed!
But I didn’t come prepared to speak and needed to find my words in five minutes’ time. So I did what I always do by calling upon God. I clasped my hands together, told God that I was going to speak but I am not prepared so guide me in what to say. Then amidst my conversation with God, the words ‘thank them’ rolled off my tongue.
After the first band performance, Leit helped me to the stage. Ps. D passed me the microphone. The auditorium roared in applause as I took position. Then I begam to speak by introducing myself as a SEGi student and reminiscent the times I studied among them with their help, carrying my laptop to college everyday for them to transcribe lectures verbatim. For those students seeing me the first time, I told them that I have an illness that makes tumors grow in my brain and along the spinal cord. I have been deafened but determined to study like them and seek better treatments abroad. For those who knew me, I told them that I won the battle in December 2009 which they helped to raise funds for. Then I said that I will be going for another battle next month and asked if they would help me again.
The auditorium roared in support. I heard their voices through my Auditory Brainstem Implant. As Leit and I stepped off the stage, they offered a standing ovation.
Only a few people bought t-shirts and books. I thought that response was poor. But when I reached home and opened the donation box, I found a heap of cash! We raised RM1,046.00!
This tells me that the students didn’t bring much money. They didn’t expect me to be raising funds there. Yet they donated what they had. A lot of spare change received.
This fundraising turned out to be an occasion for old time’s sake. I can never forget those memories, how we raised funds together, how they helped me fund three surgeries in 2009.
Thank you Christian Fellowship society of SEGi University College, Mr. Francis the teacher advisor, Michelle the club president and other volunteers in the organizing committee. Thank you June Moh who came just to help out at the booth, to Leit for attending to those who bought t-shirts, to Yi Liang and Keisha for getting me there and back, and to everyone who helped in different ways. It’s not possible to list each and every contribution so as usual, I shall pay your kindness forward.
