It's holiday season. ST came to visit J and the two of them had a good time chatting. J seemed to be in haste after lunch and sent ST off. She said she's going to visit Jared, an old friend from high school. It's been two years since J last met Jared and she overheard he'd dropped out from Uni. Was J inspired by ST's warm friendship and chose to follow suit?
A minivan parked in front of Jared's house. Outfitted with power hoist, the revamped car allows a wheelchair to be rolled into the cabin easily. Two long planks serve as wheelchair ramp leading to the house. Jared's mum took a leave from her florist work to meet us and said that Jared was very nervous as he rarely had any guest, let alone girl visitors! Also, she cautioned J: "Jared's been quite different from what you might remember two years ago. Don't be alarmed!" Filing into Jared's bedroom and seeing him bed-ridden with an air mask on, I was instantly alarmed - not a good sign!
J was calm enough to let out a "Hi~". Turning around she saw a big flat-screen TV, "Wow, you're spoiled!" she squibbed. Atop the shelf I noticed the wooden blocks 『21』. So Jared has officially entered adulthood.
Jared's mum brought us ice water and asked me if J need any straw. "Yes, please, both Jared and J are from the Strawberry2 tribe." The pun made her smile and somehow relieved the tension. J took out a present wrapped in Christmas green and red, "See, it's quite obvious what's inside!" The popular Cadbury chocolate was kept in an echelon container box, its shape stayed the same though covered by wrapping paper. Jared gave it a cold glance, as if quibbled back "Tell me that?" So this is how Y-generation exchange their greetings: see who's cooler? Though wrapped in blanket, once the chatterbox was opened, the same genius Jared revived. His bassy, booming voice resonated under the air mask, I could hardly understand a word. But from time to time J would burst into a fit of giggles. Feeling ostracised, I couldn't help pitying myself!
For five years J and Jared attended the same high school. J often commented how bright Jared was. A Duchene Muscular Destrophy (DMD) patient, Jared lost the mobility of his lower limbs as a result of steady decline in muscle function. Still he's quick-witted, eloquent, and very smart at maths, science, and programming. Except for his false enlarged muscles, Jared bears a resemblance of Stephen Hawking1 - the prominent Cambridge University Professor, world-renowned physicist - who developed muscular destrophy after turning 21. Only that his degeneration progressed not as fast as Jared's. While in high school Jared had a spine fusion surgery where some sort of rods were inserted around his spine to straighten it. It seems not working as expected. Jared's parents were divorced, a common phenomenon among families with DMD patients as 80% part their ways. Jared's father remarried and has been taking turns to look after Jared over the years. His parents worked out a shift system where every fortnight Jared's mum would drive the minivan and Jared up 60km and hand them over to Jared's dad who'd then drive another 60km to his home up north. Using Google map and maneuvering a mouse with eager hands, Jared was showing J his dad's house near the harbour as well as his childhood photos. Ever since leaving school, he lived like a hermit and even withdrew from social networking on facebook.
The photo show prompted J to exclaim: "You could still walk at the age of 9?" Three years later he had to use a wheelchair due to deteriorating muscle strength. According to clinical study, DMD patients would develop symptoms such as spinal curvatures in adolescence, respiratory and cardiovascular problems around 20. Their average life span is 25. When a young life was given cruel sentence by medical reports, when the statistics took its toll, what would keep the mother and son moving ahead with their life? I looked up to the wall and saw this poster -
J brought her news clipping featuring a local journalist's interview of her latest gym adventure. In her usual andante3 speed, she asked Jared to surf the gym's website and read that published article. The fact the witty, allegretto3-tempo Jared would slow down and oblige to her rallentando3 instruction struck a variation chord within me. When the broken-winged angels fell from heaven to earth, they went through a turbulent journey battered by all kinds of physical, mental, and spiritual afflictions. Why would they be tortured like this? The Master of Faithbook said, "this happened so that the works of God might be displayed." Disability has by no means kept Hawking from contributing his great talents to the physics world, for young adult like Jared or other congenital or accident-caused patients, what are their life purpose?
Good-looking, healthy, smart - these are gifts from God - we all like them. However, kindness and mercy are personal choices that command enormous efforts to nurture, way beyond what good-looks or shrewdness demand. Against all odds J took the initiative to visit Jared and put the Master's words into practice "I was sick and you looked after me." Was it triggered by ST's visit earlier this very day? Or Jared's adversity transformed J to be empathetic and kind? Reading the email address left by the Master of Faithbook: pray@home.now, I was suddenly enlightened. Kindness is contagious and love never fails. The story of J striving for her study and thriving on gym workout makes her the perfect lobbyist to poke Jared into resuming his schooling and taking up physical exercise. Life, whether long or short, is amazing grace itself. Live up to the challenge, and live life to the fullest!
To cheer up Jared and J, you may tick 'like' to inspire others as well.
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1. Stephen Hawking: Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at Cambridge University. Author of best seller A Brief History of Time, which sold over 10 million copies. In 1963, Hawking contracted motor neurone disease and was given two years to live. Yet he went on to Cambridge to become a brilliant researcher and Professorial Fellow. Since 1979 he has held the post of Lucasian Professor at Cambridge, the chair held by Isaac Newton in 1663. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Einstein. http://www.hawking.org.uk/
2. Strawberry generation is a Chinese language neologism for Taiwanese people born between 1981 and 1991 who "bruise easily" like strawberries – meaning they can not withstand social pressure or work hard like their parents' generation. The term arises from the perception that members of this generation have grown up being overprotected by their parents and in an environment of economic prosperity, in a similar manner to how strawberries are grown in protected greenhouses and command a higher price compared to other fruits.
3. In music, andante means slow or 'walking pace' (徐緩的，如歌的行板);
allegretto: rather fast;
rallentando: becoming slower.
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