Belle pours her heart into her paintings. Photo: Angie Lim
She bends over a canvas, painstakingly bringing colourful masterpieces of flowers and animals to life. Despite suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease that results in inflammation and tissue damage in the organs, and having to spend much of her life undergoing treatments in the hospital, 13-year-old Belle Chok has a steely determination as she completes her masterpiece which will be sold to raise funds for her medical treatment.
Whenever she is hospitalised at Selayang Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, her father, a plumbing contractor, has to pay thousands of ringgit in medical bills. The medicines that she needs on a daily basis also comes up to RM60 per day (RM1,800 monthly).
Artistic wonder
Belle pours her heart into her paintings. Photo: Angie Lim
Belle cheers herself up by drawing when she is hospitalised. Photo: Angie Lim
Belle loves to paint flowers. One of her works showing a vase of daisies. Photo: Angie Lim
Koi fish, symbolising prosperity and good fortune, painted by Belle. Photo: Angie Lim
Belle's painting of peonies, a flower which symbolises prosperity. Photo: Angie Lim
One of Belle's works of koi fish, symbolising prosperity and good fortune, which was recently sold. Photo: Angie Lim
