A Mother’s Love
Khor Hwai Yee (photo) was born on 28th February 1985. My husband and I never withhold our love and affection from our child although at first we were saddened upon being told that he is a Down Syndrome child. When Hwai Yee was barely three years old his father passed away. I single handedly shouldered the heavy responsibilities of providing and caring for him and his older brother who was 6 years old then. Caring for Hwai Yee was not an easy task as he required much attention in all aspects.
Upon reaching the age of four, I enrolled Hwai Yee into Dayspring after being referred to by a physician. Providing and caring for Hwai Yee was really taxing for me as a single mother. Nevertheless, I made it a point to take good care of my son. Without fail I would ensure that he went to Dayspring although it was a hassle for us to take the public bus from Kapar 6th mile to Meru. I was certain that he would be given much attention and some education in Dayspring. My elderly parents supports me in taking care of my children when I went out to work as a sales promoter. I had to juggle between work and caring for my children.
In Dayspring, Hwai Yee began to show determination to improve. He is able to communicate his needs. He can do basic reading and writing. He has also improved in the area of self help skills and living skills. He is able to make his own drinks, cook instant noodles and do simple household chores. Dancing has always been his passion. His sleek and fun moves bagged him the most coveted title ‘DANCING KING’ at the Dinner and Dance Event for Persons With Learning Difficulties held on 2nd December 2005. He then became the chairman of Dayspring Adventure Club from 1999 – 2009 where members of this club learn to develop leadership skills, motivate one another to speak up for their rights and share responsibilities for the preparation of the Youth Camp, Singing & Dancing Competition, Mini Canteen Day, Health Month, Recycling campaign and many others. His progress and achievements has made me and my son proud.
Later, I began to worry of what will become of him when I am no longer with him. I was relieved when my eldest son promised to take up the responsibility of caring and loving him. Hwai Yee’s brother loves him very much. Whenever he is free, he would take him out for movies and outings.
Now, Hwai Yee takes a school bus to Dayspring as we now live in an apartment in Bukit Kuda. He is now more independent. At the Centre , he does packaging of KFC condiments and Vitagen straw packs. In the Sheltered Workshop programme, Hwai Yee only requires minimum guidance. When I am at work, Hwai Yee is able to manage himself at home by making his own drinks, eats his dinner and watches television until I come home. God’s mercy and protection towards my special son cannot be measured. I constantly thank God for His protection towards my son.
I also ensure that he participates in all activities organized by Dayspring as I want him to gain exposure and experience in all these activities. I believe that whatever difficulties we face, we should never throw in the towel but be strong to endure these hardship. I am truly grateful to all the staff of Dayspring for their dedication, love, care and sincerity in educating my son.
from Madam Yong Kue Ngo
A Special Gift From God
I, Jane Anthony would like to say a few words about my son, Andrew Paul Anthony (photo) who started attending Dayspring Centre at the age of five.
Andrew was born on 25th May 1993 and he was such a blessing to my entire family. However, there was something different in him as he started to grow. He was unable to speak well and this made us to worry each and everyday. Not only that, he was very dependent on us and relies on us to do every single thing. He also had a very poor eating habit, where he only eats vegetables and no meat at all. He rarely could say a word and had problems in communicating with anyone. We had sleepless nights thinking about what was not right with him.
Five years flew in a blink of an eye, but sadly there were no changes in Andrew’s behavior. This depressed us so much and we could only pray each day for him because we were helpless. Then, on one fine Sunday morning, as we were in church, one of our close friend came and approached us regarding our son. I would say that she was sent by God to us to show us the right path. She told us abut Dayspring Centre, and we were amazed to hear that there were someone out there to help us too. My husband and I, were both eager to know about the school and finally we decided to send Andrew with great expectations and to see a drastic improvement in him.
Andrew was only five at that time, and he attended the school with empty knowledge. I would pray for him everyday so that he would be able to understand and know what he was doing. I praise God to see such fast changes in him after attending this Centre for only about a year. I was astonished to hear him speak in a better way and he was able to communicate well with his friends and family members. We were all very happy for his achievement.
He turned out to be such an independent child where he does not rely on us for simple things, and I am very proud about it. Besides that, he became a very active and energetic person after attending Dayspring Centre.
Eventually, he started eating well compared to the times when he was younger. I was very happy to see these changes in him and decided to send him to Dayspring till he grows up to be a better individual.
Now, Andrew is already 17 years old. It is such a blessing to see him grown to be an adult, who is capable to handle things just like a normal person. He is a very loving person, shows love to the little ones and had been such a great gift to us, his siblings and the community.
I thank God for everything because without His guidance, nothing is possible, and I believe that He will still guide us in every circumstances. Thank you again to the teachers and the helpers who helped us throughout the journey. God bless all of you.