When my Mom grows old too, who will take care of both of us?

I am Vivian, and I have been living with spinal muscular atrophy since I was born. I stay with my mother who takes care of me and is always by my side. She is also the one who taught me how to read and write, even though I did not have the opportunity to go to school.

My condition is such that I am confined to my bed and unable to walk, sit-up or move much at all. Thankfully, with the help of an eye-gaze device, I am able to use my eyes to play Facebook games, edit photos and watch shows on my laptop – Taiwanese and Hong Kong dramas are my favourite. Recently, I have even started a small e-commerce business on Facebook marketplace too.

I love going out to new places and taking lots of pictures. But going out of my home is a very difficult task for my mother; it is very costly too – so I rarely get the chance to do so. There used to be a time when I would be very conscious of what others said of me when I went out. Once, a mother even told her child not to be naughty, or she would end up like me. I’ve learnt not to take it to heart. After all, there are still many things I would like to do like visit Jewel at Changi Airport or go on a cruise. What more, I am already so old. If I don't go out as much as I can now, then when will I ever?

As my 40th birthday comes closer, I would love to continue learning more things, visiting more places and meeting even more people. I hope to learn more about photo and video editing, and add to my barbie collection. If I could, I would also like to meet programming professionals who can share more about this particular skill with me – it’s something I am very keen to learn too.

My age is also a reminder of how long and how hard my mother has worked to care for me. Despite not having time for much else, she has remained so positive and cheerful. She is my idol. My only fear is that as my Mom grows old too, who will take care of both of us?

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