Unforgettable Steven

When I visited my eldest sister, Lee Lee, in Kuching, Sarawak, she brought me to the Cheshire Boys' Home, which was then run by some Catholic nuns from the Convent. My big-hearted sister often volunteered to cook for the poor boys because many of them were abandoned or abused, or were left in the Home because their parents could not afford to raise them up. How Sister managed her time was most admirable, because she was a school teacher with 4 children, and often had to help my brother-in-law who was then pastoring a church in the capital of Sarawak. Yet, she still managed to volunteer her time at the Boys' Home. "If there's a will, there's a way", was her favourite maxim.

Upon arrival at the Home, the one little boy that caught my attention was Steven. Unlike the other boys who were normal, Steven was born with no hands and feet. What he had for arms and legs, were merely stumps without even the elbows and the knees! He had artifical limbs fitted onto his short stumps. Apparently, Steven hated the extra addition to his legs, for he felt more free without them. When he removed the stumps, he showed me how fast he could actually walk and even run on his stumps! Steven even won the first prize in the Home's swimming competition. His competitors were non-handicapaped swimmers.! Somehow, Steven reminds me of Lena Maria, who outswam even the Mayor of Taiwan! However, Lena Maria, is a little more fortunate than Steven because she has legs, albeit imperfect ones, but Lena uses her imperfect legs to perform all tasks that normal people do, and she performs her tasks almost perfectly!

It was heart-warming to see how Steven made the most use of whatever he had to get the most out of life. His teacher, Sister Maria, asked him to show us how he put on his T-shirt.
Steven picked his T-shirt from the table with his mouth, and before you could say "Mamma Mia" he had already put on his shirt! Sister Maria also proudly told us that Steven participated in most of the school games and sports. His normal classmates had learnt to accept him and treat him like one of them. Sister Maria showed us photos of Steven taking part in his first race when he was in Primary One. He had to move quickly and balance a ping pong on a spoon held in his mouth. He came in first! He was an extremely cheerful boy and laughed easily. He gleefully thanked my sister for her delicious cakes and curry puffs. "Aunty, I love you; but I love your pastry even more!" he teased.

Kuching is famous for her colourful beaded necklaces. These necklaces are stringed together with a fine elastric string that is used for fishing. The students in the Home were taught this craft. The necklaces were sold to raise money for the Home. I tried to string the tiny beads and it was not an easy task even for someone like me with ten fingers! Yet, Steven could string the beads by using his mouth to hold the elastic string and picking up the tiny beads from the table. The most difficult task was when Steven had to put all four strings into one bead so as to form a floral pattern. It was heart-wrenching to see him struggling, yet as usual Steven was very determined to complete his task. The normal students took about 4 hours to make a necklace. It would take Steven 5 times longer. The Home allowed Steven to join the other boys in this craft so as to give him a sense of achievement and belonging. I bought a necklace from Steven and gave him 5 times more the amount since he had to put in 5 times more effort.

I often shared with my students and friends about Steven. The necklace is still in my possession. Whenever I feel discouraged or feel like quitting, I will remember Steven's necklace which represents a little cheerful, disabled boy's grit and determination to get the most out of life.

Gan Chau