Sia Ling Ling performing a wheelchair dance at the AYA Dream Malaysia Awards last year.
SHE was born with muscular dystrophy, a condition that weakens muscles making one unable to walk normally. And her condition will eventually lead to permanent paralysis.
Until then, Sia Ling Ling, winner of the Most Outstanding Youth of the Year Award in 2006, plans to give her all in order to inspire all Malaysians that no feat is impossible.
"Winning the AYA award was was such an encouragement. It was like a sign from God to keep going on. I am now convinced that there is much more in store for me. More people to encourage and changes to bring about.
"I used to lack perspective and self-value. I merely did my best in bringing happiness and not inconveniencing those around me.
"Winning the AYA award led me to realise how important it is to love and help others in society."
After suffering much discrimination in her hometown, the 28-year-old moved to Kuala Lumpur at age 14 to make a living, selling handicrafts. She is currently working at the Beautiful Gate Foundation, helping other disabled people to gain confidence through skills development and employment.
At the Dream Malaysia Awards last year, Sia, who was part of the Beautiful Gate Creative Arts Troupe, performed two wheelchair dances that clearly had the audience moved.
After winning the award, Sia was able to further her studies in mass communication, thanks to a scholarship from one of the awards co-sponsors, Life College.
Sia recently became a part-time announcer with Ai-FM, a new radio station in town. She is also busy coordinating the 15th anniversary celebration of Beautiful Gate, and is planning a performance under her arts troupe.
"A lot of things are happening in my life now and I owe it all to the award. Receiving the award, I now know that that God will continue to use my life to inspire others."
MOST of us take for granted as part of daily life, things like travelling and being gainfully employed. Sadly, many people with diabetes cannot do all that they would like to, or even just lead a normal life like the rest of us.
With this mind, Bayer Healthcare Diabetes Care and Pharmaforte Malaysia have co-organised a community drive with the Malaysian Diabetes Association (PDM) and the Beautiful Gate Foundation for The Disabled to help the poor and the disabled with diabetes to monitor and manage their healthcare efforts.
The association and Beautiful Gate recently received the newly-launched No-Coding blood gluco-meters, Contour TS and Breeze 2, for distribution to their members to enable them to undertake con-stant and precise diabetes man-agement, making it easier for them to lead a normal life.
For those living with diabetes: Beautiful Gate Foundation for The Disabled executive director Sia Siew Chin (in wheelchair) receiving the Breeze 2 from Pharmaforte managing director Yeo Ann Chin.
“We believe the national fight against diabetes should be a responsibility shared between NGOs and corporations like Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care and Pharmaforte,” said the association assistant general secretary K.S. Maniam.
“Diabetes is a chronic disease that requires life-long self-monitoring and we hope to help them undertake constant self-monitoring so they can better manage their condition and enjoy a better quality of life,” said Bayer Healthcare Diabetes Care country head (SEA) Edward Wong.
In conjunction with this event, a paper entitled Glucose Control and Its Impact on Cardiovascular Disease was presented by renowned cardiologist and the Heart Foundation of Malaysia director Datuk Dr Khoo Kah Lin.
The association is located at No. 2, Lorong 11/4E, 46200 Petaling Jaya (tel: 03-7957 4062).
Beautiful Gate is located at No. 92 Jalan SS2/24, 47300PJ (tel: 03-7873 6579).
THE Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled received a welcome boost when the management staff of leisure and recreation club Camberwell visited the foundation's Petaling Jaya Centre recently.
The visitors spent about an hour with some 20 disabled residents of the centre to gain a better understanding of the challenges and pain encountered by the disabled each day. The residents were also treated to a fast food meal arranged by the staff of Camberwell.
The visitors also brought a RM12,000 donation from the club in Damansara Utama. Camberwell Club senior operations manager Tia Eng Seng handed over a mock cheque for the amount to Beautiful Gate Foundation executive director Sia Siew Chin.
Yummy: The residents enjoying the treat.
Also present at the cheque presentation ceremony was Camberwell deputy general manager for business development, Alex Chai.
Tia said the donation was part of the club’s on-going charity programme to reach out to the less fortunate.
“We are very impressed with the charity work of Beautiful Gate Foundation, which has helped so many disabled people,” Tia said, noting that the foundation had expanded over the years and now had six centres.
“We are truly happy to be able to contribute to this noble cause,” he added.
According to Sia, the donation will be used for the construction of a new lift in the Petaling Jaya centre, which is estimated to cost RM84,000. The existing lift is in bad condition and may pose a danger to its residents. She expressed the hope that more companies would come forward to help fund the new lift.
Welcome aid: (From left) Chai, Tia and Sia (fourth from left) with some of the residents at the cheque presentation ceremony.
The Beautiful Gate Foundation is dedicated to giving the disabled an opportunity to live an independent lifestyle that is integrated with mainstream Malaysian society as much as possible.
Established in 1995, the Beautiful Gate Foundation Petaling Jaya Centre has 40 disabled residents aged between six to 60 years old. The centre provides training in living, working and social skills, educational training, and mobile therapy and other services. Concepts of independent living are used to train the disabled to live independently.
Those who wish to help and donate to foundation may visit the Beautiful Gate Foundation Petaling Jaya Centre at No. 92, Jalan SS2/24, 47300 Petaling Jaya, or call 03-7873 6579 for more details.