Most kids would have sweet memories of their their school days, but Celeste Chang hardly remembers anything — for she had to be withdrawn before completing Primary One, after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
In 2010, 6-year-old Celeste was found to have medulloblastoma–a kind of brain tumour common in children. A small part of her brain was removed leading her to suffer memory lapses and stunted growth. Treatments for her illness left her completely exhausted, and affected her organs.
Not one to throw in the towel easily, the Nanyang Primary pupil made a return to school 15 months later, which has proved to be the right move. The 12-year-old scored two As in English and Chinese and two Cs for Mathematics and Science in the 2015 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).
Her results left he relieved, as they allow her to move on to a secondary school.
Returning to school as a Primary 3 pupil was not easy.
Celeste struggled to complete her work, because her exhaustion from treatments meant she took up too much time to complete a single task.
To make matters worse, she suffered from high-frequency hearing loss which caused her to experience difficulty in hearing. When the class was noisy, she would seek refuge in the school toilet to abscond from the noise, further hindering her readjustment.
So how did she pull through this dark period in school?
It was through the help of her teachers and her family. They became a pillar of support for her. With the support she received, Celeste was able to catch up with her studies and submit her assignments on time.
Her doting dad even went to the extent of quitting his job so that he could spend more time with the family and in the process he also learnt to appreciate the value of family.
She credits her success to these people who were there when she was at her lowest point in her life.
Celeste’s story is an example that Singaporeans can take lessons from when confronted with a set of challenges. They can draw inspiration from her will to never give up.
A quality that is important if we want to achieve success.
With reference from The Straits Times
Featured image via Facebook
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