Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Turning Point ...

Not knowing where to start, I took to browsing the Internet randomly and chanced upon a blog called “Sanctuary of Hope” owned by Jenny Yap, a lady with a big heart of gold, which I fondly dubbed as the first Angel I met. Coincidentally, at that time Jenny and her husband, were in the midst of organising a Charity Drive to the Pusat Penjagaan Kanak-Kanak Cacat Klang (PPKCK), a centre for handicapped and disabled kids situated in Kg Raja Uda, Port Klang on 1 May 2011. Without hesitation, I dropped her an email to find out if we could join them and almost immediately received a positive reply. From her blog and emails, her goodness and kindness can be felt even then, thus meeting this Angel in person is truly a blessed experience.
As arranged, we joined the convoy of over 20 cars at Sg Rasau toll at 10am and proceeded to PPKCK. We were greeted by the Home’s President, Mr Morgun, who gave a brief introduction before bringing us on a tour around the Home. We were shown Jenny and her friends’ “fruits of labour”;  newly installed wardrobes, a TV set, a DVD player and a refridgerator, all this made possible through months of planning and fund-raising.  The kids entertained us with their dance and in turn they were entertained by Mr Clown and later treated to a “Beary Meal” from A&W.
Jenny and group left shortly after lunch but we decided to stay back. After the air of gaeity had died down, the stark reality of these kids’ sad plight shows its face. Underneath their handicap and disability, lies a child that is no different from others. They too crave attention, hugs and soft words, something which their minders are unable to give them due to their workload. Visitors often come and go, but how many will stay and interact with them? Is it because of fear, prejudice or lack of understanding? I recall a young guy timidly reaching out to touch my hand and how his faced beamed when instead of pushing him away, I held his hands in mine. I recall a young boy with outstretched arms requesting to be carried which I obliged and the sweet guy rested his head on my shoulders. I also recall reaching out to touch the face of another boy to comfort him and he just nuzzled into my hands. Priceless moments worth their weight in gold…
Our visit to PPKKCK truly touched and changed our life. The experience here has shown us beauty beyond handicap, strength beyond disability and taught us how truly special these kids are.

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