SINGAPORE – Born with critical genetic illnesses, Ms Gwyn Lim Qi Zheng’s mobility is limited to her fingers.
The only thing she can do independently is to use her smartphone for schoolwork. Prolonged periods of sitting are excruciating, and chronic fatigue is a norm.
Yet the 19-year-old diploma in business graduate was one of the recipients of Temasek Polytechnic’s (TP) Ngee Ann Kongsi Most Outstanding Overcomer Award on May 8. She was among nearly 5,400 students from 39 full-time and 47 part-time diploma courses who graduated from TP.
As a child, Ms Lim was diagnosed with trilateral retinoblastoma, a rare cancer affecting her eyes, and a tumour on the pineal gland of her brain. Her right eye was removed, while the left one was saved through chemotherapy and cryotherapy.
She also suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, a chronic neurodegenerative disease that leads to the progressive weakening of her muscles and requires her to use a wheelchair.
The muscle weakness also causes respiratory distress. Ms Lim has to undergo at least two nebuliser sessions daily to maintain clear airways and take oral medication that costs around $5,000 a bottle.
A tracheostomy tube inserted into her windpipe to support her breathing makes speaking more strenuous and affects the clarity and rhythm of her speech. She also uses a feeding pump for liquid nutrition.
Due to her health conditions, her family chose to homeschool her during primary school, with medical students from the National University of Singapore as her volunteer tutors. She sat the PSLE as a private candidate.
Ms Lim later attended secondary school, where she faced new challenges.
