Wesley Wee
A man who never had complete control of his body because of cerebral palsy, has defied the odds, finding happiness for himself. Wesley Wee, a 38-year-old man from Singapore, was born with
cerebral palsy, and has never had any control over most of the muscles
in his body.
According to Oddity Central, the man is stuck in a wheelchair, and
is unable to dress or feed himself, so writing a book seems out of the
realm of possibility.
However, his physical disabilities didn’t stop this ambitious man
from spending five years typing every letter in his inspiring book, “Finding Happiness Against the Odds”, with just the big toe on his right foot.
Growing up, Wesley had to deal no only with the challenges of his
crippling condition, but also the abuse of his parents who were unable
to deal with the hardships of raising a disabled child, and often took
their frustration out on him. His mother would hit him and say things
like “You good for nothing, si geena (dead child in Hokkien), it is better you die,” to him, and his father pushed him to do difficult exercises every night, in an attempt to make him walk normally.
As a boy, Wesley was forced to use a walking frame to make ten
rounds around the living room every night, a task that sometimes proved
too difficult to complete. That’s when his father would lose his temper,
drag him to the bathroom and dunk his head into a bucket full of water.
His few happy childhood memories are of his grandmother, who,
realizing the constant abuse he was subjected to, took him to live with
her and ensured he received an education at the Spastic Children’s
Association, something that his parents thought would be wasted on him.
Unfortunately, this happy time of his life didn’t last long, as
circumstances forced Wee to end up with his abusive parents once again.
Determined to make him walk like a normal person, they made him undergo a
surgery that left him confined in a wheelchair. up to this point, he
could still manage to take a few steps on his own, but after the
intervention, he lost his ability to walk completely.
Seeing that their child had become an even bigger burden, his
mother and father subjected him to even worse physical and psychological
abuse than before.
At one point, life became too much to bear for Wesley, and he
attempted to take his own life not once but four times. It was only a
matter of time before he eventually succeeded, but he claims Jesus gave
him the strength to push through, and helped him find his calling – to
become an inspiration to those who believe life has nothing left to
offer them.
Wesley started supporting himself by selling tissue paper on the
streets, and, seven years ago, he found love. He met his wife online,
and spent most of what he earned buying phone cards to call her. He
eventually went to the Philippines to meet her, and brought her back to
Singapore. They got married five years ago.
Wesley Hee’s life took a turn for the better, and having overcome
so many obstacles, he wanted to share his experience with others, to let
them know that regardless of the circumstances, they should never, ever
give up hope. If he could do it, so could anyone else.
The best way to tell his story was through a book, but having to
type all the words himself was a virtually impossible task. Once again,
he proved nothing is impossible if you really want it, and spent the
last five years typing every letter in his book, on a tablet, using only
his big right toe. Now, “Finding Happiness Against the Odds” has been published and will officially launch on August 23rd, at the headquarters of Google Singapore.
“I want to tell people what I’ve been through,” Wesley Wee says.
“I would like to inspire people’s lives, and those who have disabled in
their family. Do not give up hope, because if I had given up hope, I
wouldn’t be here.”
Wesley dreams of adopting a child with his wife, and some day opening his own shoe business.
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