Disability not stopping girl from pursuing dream

And while the 18-year-old suffers from elephantiasis, she is a confident person who has made it through the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

“Actually my SPM results are not really fantastic, but they have exceeded my expectations,” she said.

Siew Hui of SMK Tokai, Pendang, who sat for 11 subjects, scored a 1A in Mathematics, her favourite subject, a 3B, two 4Bs and a 5C.

FAMILY SUPPORT: Siew Hui sharing her joy on seeing her SPM
results with her parents, Goh and Hong, at their home in Alor Star.

Elephantiasis is a disease where a person's limbs or parts of the head or torso grow abnormally large due to swelling caused by blockage of lymph or blood flow.

Afflicted since birth, Siew Hui has learned to overcome it with the support of her parents and three siblings.

The growth, which is no longer enlarging, has robbed her of her sight in the left eye and distorted her face.

However, that has not stopped her from moving on with life or pursuing learning opportunities.

“I just live the way I want. I don’t care about what others say,” she said.

Siew Hui added that she did not envy others nor was she saddened by her condition.

“The growth is an unchangeable fact. The views of others are not important. What really matters is that I show who I really am through my own abilities,” she said.

The youngest in the family, she has two sisters and a brother. Her father Hong Wah, 61, is a farmer and mother Goh Jit Yang, 58, a homemaker.

Hong said doctors from Australia and Penang had come to Alor Star Hospital to study his daughter's condition and her blood sample had also been sent to Taiwan for analysis, but all tests had indicated that treatment was not possible.

The courageous Siew Hui is still considering her options for the future, but hopes that she will be able to compete equally when she starts working.

She also has this advice for those who share her fate: “Ignore negative views and disparaging remarks.”