Doctors said Jean Tan, now 32, who was born with a severe cleft palate, would never be able to speak properly. But she defied the odds and became a singer-songwriter. And then she was struck with an incurable kidney condition.
Ms Tan, a singer-songwriter who has produced three albums and composed and performed a song for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.
Her full-time job is in the education sector, had six operations to correct her cleft deformity – the first at three months old and the last when she was 18.
A major operation at the age of 16 to fix her protruding jaw and another at 17 to correct her slanted nose helped to boost her confidence. “For the first time I looked physically normal. I felt a bit more confident of who I was,” she said.
While studying literature on a scholarship at the University of York, she started performing at open mic sessions. It began as way to help her overcome anxiety, but soon became more fun than nerve-wracking.
She also started writing and composing her own songs, which became a channel of self-expression.
In 2010, she began work as an educator and produced her first album, a personal and faith-based one. She took part in events supporting international non-profit medical organisation Operation Smile, which helps children who need treatment for cleft or facial deformities.
It was also the year she was diagnosed with an autoimmune kidney disease. Her condition causes her kidneys to leak protein and her body to swell. When it acts up she can find herself 20kg heavier, and her organs bloat, making it hard to breathe, eat or walk.
Her 2017 music album, Hideaway, chronicles her journey through the ups and downs of her illness. But even as she continues to battle an illness for which there is no cure, Miss Tan chooses not to dwell on what she cannot control.
She has also grown stronger with each experience. “Resilience isn’t about banging your head through an obstacle. Rather it’s about allowing yourself time to rest, recharge, and to try again.”
Watch her video story below.
Read more here.
Source: The Straits Times, 14 March 2018