My impossible, beautiful life

By Gan Ling Kai It is easy, in today's hyper-paced world, to fast-forward Miss Ng Poh Peng's life from when she was a fragile eight-month-old to the miracle of the 20-year-old today. It would be convenient to sum up, in the blink of an eye, the way she was then, and now. But I would be cheating you if I did. I would be depriving you of a life deemed unlikely, of courage, of unconditional love. Miss Ng's plight once touched readers of The New Paper - perhaps you yourself or others like you - so much that $296,000 was donated to give her a chance at life. When she was a baby, doctors said she would be dead within two months, but she defied their prognosis. Today, Miss Ng should inspire you. As a baby, then just eight months old, doctors said she would be dead within two months. In October 1991, we wrote about her battle with congenital ichthyosis, a rare hereditary skin disorder. It causes her skin to flake off like fish scales, exposing pink skin underneath. To this day, there is no cure. But Miss Ng defied the doctors. She lived a month beyond their terminal deadline. Then six months. Then a year. And then 20 years. How? Love, she says. From unwavering, unconditional love, she found the courage and resilience to face life despite the way she looks. Her courage has not gone unnoticed. She was chosen to be one of the 2,400 Singaporeans who carried the Youth Olympic Games torch last year. Despite her skin condition, and the constant pain from arthritis, she persevered in school and, in March this year, obtained a Higher National ITE Certificate in Accounting. She now wants to be a data entry officer. But life continues to be a struggle.