Take Nick Vujivic, for example, the Australian-American evangelist, who despite being born without arms and legs, lives a full life, and is now a famed keynote speaker.
Closer to home, Sivalila Balakrishnan, 41, from Klang, is motivating others to be the best versions of themselves after overcoming her own medical challenges as a diabetic patient.
Her story is heartbreaking. At just 35 years old, she lost the vision in her right eye to diabetic retinopathy.
“How is it possible that diabetes could affect my vision? I was never aware of it and was devastated because I wasn’t born blind. It just felt so unfair at the time,” she told FMT, adding that doctors were able to save the vision in her left eye through a series of laser treatments.
Still, the experience of being a partially blind person broke her spirit until she registered with the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB), where she discovered that many others were born blind, and were therefore facing an even bigger ordeal than hers.
“I was always complaining that I only had one functioning eye. But when I came here, it dawned on me that many others had to live their entire lives blind. I guess I started appreciating life a bit more since then,” she said, crediting her late mother for advising her to stay strong and soldier on in life.
That same year, she was made a brand ambassador for Primus Wellness, accepting public-speaking engagements and attending self-improvement courses.
It wasn’t long before other companies began to take notice of her, including Tupperware where she worked as a marketing consultant.
Losing her right leg
Feeling more confident by the day made her next medical emergency just three years later, all the more painful to bear.
She was diagnosed with Charcot foot, a disease that attacks the bones, joints and soft tissues in the feet as a result of diabetes. She was told she had to either amputate her leg, or face the prospect of dying from diabetes.
“Of course, I wanted to live. So, I had to lose my leg because I still valued my life. In my head, I still had the mental image of my late mother who was also diabetic, and lived her remaining years with just one leg – if she could do it, so could I.”
Weak from the amputation, Sivalila also battled insomnia, lying awake most nights agonising over how to attend to her day-to-day activities with only one leg.
When she had regained her strength, she underwent physiotherapy to exercise her leg muscles and to be mentally stronger. She also learned how to use her prosthetic leg while walking and to overcome her mental inhibitions.
“The first time I drove my car, I was in tears as I couldn’t lift my weight to the driver’s seat. A friend helped me. I think over time, I had to fight my insecurities and physio helped me gain that confidence.”
Breaking boundaries
During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, Sivalila turned to social media, using short clips and reels to spread awareness about diabetes and to keep her followers motivated about facing life’s challenges.
Soon requests for speaking engagements began pouring in and feeling encouraged by this turn of events, she signed-up for the Take the Trainer (TTT) course to become a more eloquent speaker.
She also designed a programme called ‘ABC of Life’ based on her own life experiences. And when pandemic restrictions were eased, she was able to meet people face to face again, although this time, she was delivering her talks from her wheelchair.
“So what if I’m in a wheelchair? If I can talk and inspire one person, that’s more than enough.
“I used to be camera-shy. But that was replaced by a more confident woman due to her experiences. And I want to use that to inspire others, to tell them to always find that inner strength within themselves – there’s a lot of power when we look inwards,” she said.
These days, Sivalila is a freelancer with BlindSight, a social enterprise run by Lingesh Lechamanan that helps the marginalised and underprivileged. She is also a marketing consultant for various corporations.