20/05/09
The Straits Times
Kevin's a grad, thanks to mum
She quit job to be full-time caregiver to son, who has muscle-wasting disease
By Yeo Sam Jo
WHEN Mr Kevin Lee Yue Hong went on stage to collect his diploma in Temasek Polytechnic's auditorium yesterday, he shared the limelight with his mother, who was pushing him in his wheelchair.
And the certificate he received might as well have been shared with her, too. For three years, Madam Tay Et had a full-time 'job' accompanying her son to all his classes.
Mr Lee, 20, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a disease characterised by the rapid wasting of the muscles and limited mobility.
The graduation yesterday was an achievement for both mother and son, as his diploma in Internet and multimedia development was a culmination of their hard work.
When Mr Lee was diagnosed with DMD and became wheelchair-bound at 10, his mother quit her $1,000-a-month job at a manufacturing plant to become his full-time caregiver.
He could mostly manage on his own in primary and secondary school, with classmates helping him up the stairs. But his condition deteriorated after he entered the polytechnic, so Madam Tay decided to attend school with him.
Mr Lee gradually lost the ability to write and draw, and his speech became increasingly slurred. He began typing all his assignments on a computer. For exams, he would read out his answers to his teachers. By the end of 2007, he needed a portable ventilator to help him breathe.
Every day, his mother, a 52-year-old housewife, would wake up at 6.30am to get him ready for school. She would clear the phlegm from his throat, brush his teeth, feed him breakfast, bathe and clothe him, then take him from their Pasir Ris flat to Tampines in a London cab.
Madam Tay would also go with him to all his classes. There, she would prop him up against a table, ensuring he had a bolster for a cushion. She would help him to the toilet, collect notes on his behalf, and feed him when he was hungry.
'She was like our classmate,' said Mr Lee's classmate Nur Ashikin. 'She was always there for him, and the rest of us were really touched to see that.'
The one thing the Mandarin-speaking housewife could not do was help him with his lessons.
'I felt bad for not being able to help him more,' she said. 'But I have no complaints. I know I had to be there for him.'
To aid Mr Lee, the school let him have a room where he could lie down between classes as he is prone to fatigue. He was also given extra time to complete his assignments.
Despite his difficulties, he was very much a part of the class. Classmates and teachers said he would joke with them and participate in presentations.
'He inspires us lecturers and his classmates,' said his course manager N. Vijayan. 'He never gave up despite his condition.'
At yesterday's ceremony, Mr Lee could not stop smiling.
'I am excited that my hard work has paid off,' he said. 'But I couldn't have done it without my mum. She's like my buddy and I want to share this diploma with her.'
A cartoon and anime fan, he hopes to become an animator some day. But rather than put his mum through school again, he is pursuing the idea of attending online degree courses in multimedia.
'I am proud of him,' said Madam Tay, as she fought back tears. 'He wants to further his studies, but I'm not sure if we can afford it.'
His polytechnic education was paid for with savings. The family gets by on the $1,200 that Mr Lee's father brings home every month as a salesman. Mr Lee has a younger sister in Secondary 3.
The fighting pair refuse to believe doctors who tell him he has till maybe the age of 30 to live. Madam Tay said: 'Doctors tell me that one day, he will not be able to sit up at all. But I busy myself with chores so I don't have to think about it.'
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