Woman finds time for spastic children

BY NG CHENG YEE       

PETALING JAYA: A 51-year-old mother, driven by a love for music and a soft spot for disabled children, decided that a uterus cancer that was troubling her was not as important as giving joy to the spastic kids. 

In 1999, two years after she was diagnosed with the cancer, Low Wai Choo became a music teacher at the Spastic Children’s Association of Selangor and Federal Territory here where her daughter was also getting therapy lessons. 

“I’ve got a spastic daughter and I did not want to work here initially. I did not want to take in more problems,” she said, adding that the girl – now 19 – had been attending lessons at the association since she was three. 

Things changed when Low was diagnosed with uterus cancer in 1997. 

“I was very upset at that time, not knowing why bad things were happening to me.” she said when interviewed on the sidelines of the association’s pre-jogathon carnival here, yesterday. 

Chew receiving a souvenir from spastic child Yoke Mei Keng with Spastic Children's Association of Selangor and Federal Territory president Datuk Lam Peng Chong (second form right) and director Datuk Dr Mohinder Singh

The event, the 11th Charity Jog/ Walk/Wheel-A-Thon programme will be held at the Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 10. 

Low said she began to look at the positive side and thanked God for bringing so many people to help her. 

They included parents and staff of the association whom she had known for many years. 

Many parents offered to take care of her daughter while others offered her money. 

“I was really touched by their kindness and realised that my situation was not that bad. So I came back here again after I got well and did whatever I could to help them,” she said. 

“I decided to teach the children music as I have a little bit of music background and it has always been my interest since I was small,” she said, adding that it involved a lot of love and patience and was not merely “to let the children play”. 

“Some of them would take months to learn one song but everything is worthwhile when you see them smile. 

“Some of them were first very quiet and did not like to talk but they started to open up after attending the class. 

Women, Family and Community Development Ministry’s parliamentary secretary Chew Mei Fun, who was at the pre-carnival event yesterday, urged disabled persons and or their parents to register with the welfare department to enable it to monitor and plan programmes for them 

She said up to the end of last year, more than 132,000 disabled were registered with the Welfare Department and RM3.5mil was allocated to non-governmental organisations for the disabled last year. 

Those interested to take part in the Oct 10 event can sign up on the day of the event by paying a fee of RM20 at the counter that would be set up.  

All proceeds will go to different charitable organisations. For details, call 03-7955 0296.