Five months ago, seven-year-old Lee Qi Zhen required her father’s help to stand. The little girl has a convergent squint — an eye condition which causes her eyes to turn inwards — and amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, in both eyes.
She underwent surgery at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and doctors told her father Lee Shang Lian, 40, that they managed to correct about 85 per cent of the misalignment. The surgery improved her three-dimensional vision which, in turn, has led her motor skills to improve by leaps. She is now able to stand and sit on her own, and has even taken her first steps.
Like his daughter, Mr Lee is getting back on his feet.
He had to quit his job to take care of Qi Zhen full-time. The duo survived on S$600 to $700 in monthly assistance from various funds and welfare organisations.
About two months ago, he returned to work as a private-hire driver and now earns more than S$1,500 a month. The ability to earn a living again will allow him to save for their future.
Mr Lee credited the S$2,000 received from the TODAY Enable Fund in May for going “a long way” to help his family. The fund, set up a year ago and administered by SG Enable, support efforts to enhance the education, skills and employment prospects of people with disabilities. After reading their story, which TODAY featured in July, some good Samaritans also donated about S$3,000. The money has since been used for the education expenses of Qi Zhen, a Rainbow Centre student.
Mr Lee works nine to 10 hours daily and tries to head home for an hour in the middle of the day to check on his daughter. In his first month of work, he had to rely on family members to look after Qi Zhen but managed to hire a Cambodian domestic helper last month.
He has stopped taking donations, saying: “I am now working to provide for my daughter with my own two hands. It gives me a sense of satisfaction. Slowly, one step at a time, I will continue to improve both our lives.”
He still worries about the future and whether Qi Zhen will be independent when she is older.
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Source: Today, 17 December 2017