But the petite-framed girl with baby-like features is actually 13 years old.
Unknown to many, she suffers from glycogen storage disease (GSD) type 1a, an inherited disease that interferes with the way her body turns food into energy.
Her doting mum, Jenny Ding, 48, tells FMT that her daughter’s liver is unable to properly store or break down the complex sugar glycogen found in fruits, ice cream and milk.
This means that Jenny has to take extra care when preparing her daughter’s meals, making sure there’s nothing on her plate that will further strain her already fragile liver.
Despite her condition, this ambitious girl is the proud owner and jewellery maker behind Cailey’s Handmade Jewellery and a junior entrepreneur on one of Malaysia’s largest small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) platforms, Caring Moms.
Jenny first introduced Cailey to the creative world of jewellery-making two years ago as a means to fill her daughter’s time with a constructive activity that would be mentally challenging as well.
Due to her height and health, Cailey’s physical activities are limited to swimming.
The jewellery-making class was organised by a member of the Caring Moms community.
“My mum sent me to earring-making classes and it was there that I discovered I was able to make pretty earrings on my own,” gushed Cailey, adding that she fell in love with designing earrings from the get go.
“I want to make earrings because I can do it on my own without my mum around and on my own time,” she says, adding that she found the classes an extremely fun activity.
According to Cailey, on a good day, she can design earrings at a faster pace, taking only about 10 minutes to complete one earring. The earrings she makes are suitable for either office or party wear.
Cailey explained that she owes her business success to Auntie Shera Ann Bosco, founder of Caring Moms who gave her the encouragement and confidence she needed to venture out on her own.
Auntie Shera also organised a booth for Cailey’s Handmade Jewellery at the Caring Moms Deepavali bazaar in 2019.
“There were also many other kind and generous aunties who came forward to give me more beads and accessories to help with my first ever bazaar booth.
“From my sales, I was able to purchase more beads and explore more beautiful jewellery designs,” says Cailey.
Jenny adds that because the bazaar sales were such a success, Cailey was motivated to enrol as an official seller on the Caring Moms platform. To date, Cailey is the youngest entrepreneur there.
When she’s not busy at her crafting table making necklaces and earrings, you can find her snuggled up with either a good book or helping her mother decorate cupcakes.
Jenny, an accountant by profession, left her job so she could devote her time fully to taking care of Cailey. She now bakes for a living, making some of the most beautiful fondant-decorated cakes for her customers.
“Cailey’s condition hinders her from consuming normal, sugar-filled cakes and when she reached the age where she began consuming solids, I thought why not bake her a cake that she is able to eat,” Jenny says.
On days where Jenny is swamped with orders, Cailey is roped in to help lighten the load of decorating the cupcakes. “We are always together,” adds Jenny.
“I definitely got my entrepreneurial spirit from watching my mum,” says Cailey, whose dream is to own a physical jewellery store someday.
Cailey is currently being home-schooled full-time, which has meant she’s had to stop accepting orders for her jewellery.
However, if you still wish to purchase one of Cailey’s handmade earrings or necklaces, you may contact Jenny at 012-3103740 for assistance.