I came to live in England when I was 12 years old, after living all my life in Asia. I was born in Saigon, Vietnam. Ten days after I was born, I developed neonatal jaundice. Not being able to receive proper treatment at the local hospital fast enough left me in a wheelchair, as it damaged the part of the brain that controls motor movement.
People say that appearances can be deceiving, and I think it’s true. When people look at me and see my body is wonky, they often assume my brain is wonky, too. I have attended mainstream schools all my life and I understand the things going on around me. Besides, even people with disabilities can communicate their ideas to everyone. I remember the moment when I realized this.
At the One Young World Summit in Dublin, I was incredibly inspired by a presentation by social entrepreneur Caroline Casey. After sharing her experiences of vision impairment, the hall went dark as she introduced the five guest speakers. You couldn’t see them, but you could hear their voices. They sounded like ordinary people, but when the lights came on, I found out they had physical disabilities. They all overcame their difficulties and made lives for themselves. They didn’t wish to hide away. They all spoke out. I decided that was what I wanted to do—speak out for all who live in wheelchairs.
I started to attend the One Young World Summit every year, sharing my story. At the summit in Bangkok, I tried to explain how we children who use wheelchairs have more in common with other children of our age than we don’t. Rather than looking through us, pretending we are not there, people should see us. And they should tell us, “I see you.” That was my message, and after the speech, dozens of people came up to me to say that for the first time, they understood how they could talk to their niece, or to their neighbor’s son, or to their friend’s grandfather. So many people knew someone who used a wheelchair. I was astonished. And it was then I decided I wanted to do more, and now I am working on a project to eradicate the complications of neonatal jaundice, starting in Vietnam.
My ultimate dream is to create a society where disabled people are treated the same as others, receiving the same opportunities and help when needed. People should not be limited because of what they can or cannot do. Even though I look wonky on the outside, I‘m still just me on the inside.
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