A day out with my korkors I Berenice Kow

Gao Rong Ze

Tang Wei Ling

Kow Fu Long Bryan

Kow Fu Xiang Brandon

Kow Fu Xing Bosco

Kow Jia Le Berenice

A day out with my korkors

“I want to go outside with my korkors and play together.”

For 10-year-old Kow Jia Le, Berenice, spending time outside the house with her three older brothers is not something she gets to do often.

Two of her brothers, 15-year-old Brandon and 12-year-old Bosco, have Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and are always restless and unfocused. Bosco also has Global Developmental Delay and is hence slighter in physique than Berenice, who is two years his junior.

Berenice’s eldest brother Bryan, 17 this year, was born with diabetes and has to self-administer insulin daily. The combination of dealing with judging looks from people and the pressures of the school took a toll on Bryan, so he has been seeing a psychiatrist to help with his mental health.

To provide the best care for her four children, Berenice’s mother, Tang Wei Ling, 38, has to be a full-time homemaker. Her husband, 45-year-old Gao Rong Ze, is responsible for bringing home the bacon. However, his irregular income from working in funeral services is not enough for the children’s long-term treatment and medical fees and the family’s living expenses.

Given the family’s less-than-ideal circumstances, Wei Ling applied for CDAC’s financial assistance a few years ago to ease their load. The children also attend CDAC tuition classes, which help them keep up with school work without further straining the family’s finances.

CDAC’s annual “Ready for School” project has been of great help in relieving the family’s monetary burdens. At the same time, the kidsREAD programme has helped Bosco and Berenice, who both have dyslexia and learning difficulties, develop a keen interest in reading. Wei Ling also attends talks and courses organised by CDAC to equip herself with essential parenting skills to better cope with her children’s needs.

The trip to Universal Studios Singapore organised by CDAC was a rare chance for the whole family to let their hair down. Rong Ze took a day of unpaid leave to join his family, and Wei Ling was glad to spend time with her husband and delighted to see the kids having a whale of a time.

Wei Ling is thankful to CDAC for walking with the family through tough times and assisting them with support and resources to raise their children.

To the adults, the excursion was a day off from their usual worries. For Berenice and her brothers, it was undoubtedly a wish come true.