Chong is his happiest when he is with his children.
By WONG LI ZA Photos by AZHAR MAHFOF
Chong Yu Xi n was born premature at six-and-a-half months. Her mother’s water broke while she was mopping the floor, resulting in an emergency delivery.
Now 10, Yu Xin suffers from spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy where the person’s arms and legs have abnormal stiffness. Her right arm is also shorter than her left by about one foot (0.3m). She also has attention deficit disorder (ADD) and very poor eyesight. She wears leg braces and walks with the help of a walker.
Yu Xin and her brother Kai Jet, eight, are taken care of by their father Chong Hoi Khow, 42, who operates a noodle stall in Ampang Tasik Permai in Selangor.
Their mother left when they were younger but now visits them two or three times a month. She also takes Yu Xin for her medical checkups.
Currently, Yu Xin can converse in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Cantonese. Her voice is soft and she breaks into a smile easily. It has been six years since Yu Xin started going to the Special Children Society of Ampang (SCSOA) in Selangor – the not-forprofit organisation where she learns to read and write. She also undergoes an hour of physiotherapy every morning, as well as hydrotherapy and fine motor skills training. Her father pays RM300 a month for all the sessions and lessons.
“Since going to SCSOA, she has become more talkative and sociable, and has learnt to speak English and Bahasa Malaysia. The centre has done a lot for her physically, too,” says Chong. When Yu Xin first enrolled there, her legs were crossed over and it took five teachers to hold her during her physiotherapy sessions.
Chong takes his daughter by motorcycle to the Special Children Society of Ampang every weekday.
Chong sends Yu Xin by motorcycle to the centre every weekday morning. After she finishes class at noon, the society’s van takes her to her father’s stall in a coffeeshop, where she waits for him to pack up at about 2.30pm before they head home together.
The girl is a familiar face with the shop owners and patrons, many of whom have a soft spot for her.
Yu Xin reads while her dad works at his noodle stall in a coffeeshop.
“She can be very cheeky. When she hears customers order kopi-o, she will also order a cup. She understands everything and can answer questions posed to her,” says Chong in Cantonese, with a hint of pride.
Home to the family is a rented place nearby, located above a shoplot. Chong shares the small unit with his sister, who works in the hotel industry.
He usually carries Yu Xin all the way up the dark and dank stairway.
Chong carrying Yu Xin up the stairs to their rented home in Ampang Tasik Permai.
He then bathes Yu Xin.
“She loves to take her bath and fiddle with the tap,” says Chong.
After her bath, she plays with simple things like plastic boxes and coins in a container; sometimes she flips through her brother’ s old school books, or watches TV.
“She loves to listen to Malay songs and sing them, too,” Chong adds.
Despite his hardship, Chong maintains a jovial disposition.
His hope for the future is that Yu Xin will be able to walk without aid.
“Most important is for her to learn to walk and take care of herself. The doctors initially told us she should be able to walk by seven or eight years old. Now, she is already 10,” says Chong, in a somewhat dejected tone.
“Sometimes when I think about her future, I will worry,” he says.
Chong helping Yu Xin to put on her leg braces. (Below) Chong, after work, with Yu Xin, who also has poor eyesight, and her brother Kai Jet.
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