00:00When I heard about this, I was heartbroken.
00:03I was feeling shocked and depressed.
00:06I was wondering, why me?
00:09Why me?
00:17Hi, my name is Steve T.
00:18I'm currently working full-time at Apple.
00:21I'm a retired Paralympian,
00:23doing paracycling and specializing in tandem cycling.
00:27During my free time, I'm a motivational public speaker,
00:31a certified life coach,
00:32and a master health and wellness coach.
00:35Back in 2004, after my National Service,
00:38I was diagnosed with this incurable eye condition
00:41called Racket-Nutty's Pigmentosa.
00:44This condition started off with night blindness.
00:46That means I can't see well at night and at dim places.
00:50Over time, my sight will get narrower and blurrer,
00:54eventually leading to total or near-total blindness.
00:58Doctors told me that there's no cure or treatment for this condition yet,
01:02and it will deteriorate over the years.
01:05When I heard about this, I was heartbroken.
01:08I was feeling shocked and depressed.
01:12I was wondering, why me?
01:15Why me?
01:18As I was unable to do all the things I usually take for granted,
01:22like reading, writing, drawing, playing computer games,
01:27watching dramas and movies,
01:29chilling out with friends, shopping,
01:31and traveling around the world.
01:33When I was first diagnosed with this eye condition,
01:36no one understood what the actual condition is like.
01:40My parents and my friends didn't understand why I have this condition.
01:44When I tried to explain to them,
01:46they couldn't seem to fully understand about it.
01:49So, I decided to isolate myself away from all my friends
01:55and all the social activities.
01:57Whenever my friends asked me to go out,
01:59I would tell them no.
02:01One day, I was awakened by the sound of thunder.
02:04It was raining heavily outside,
02:07and I realized that I'm not eaten for the whole day.
02:09I went to the kitchen and looked for food.
02:11There isn't any, and no one was at home at that moment.
02:15Because of my hunger, I decided to grab an umbrella
02:18and go and get my food.
02:21I tripped and fell along the way,
02:23and my knee was badly injured and bruised.
02:28It was very painful.
02:30But because of my hunger, I continued to go and get my food.
02:35So, after getting my food, and while I was eating,
02:38that was when I realized,
02:39hey, if you are hungry, you will find a way to get your food.
02:43So, likewise, if you are hungry enough,
02:45you'll find ways to overcome your adversities in your life.
02:50So, that is the moment where I realized
02:52why I have lost my hunger in my life,
02:56doesn't want to do anything, and isolate myself at home.
03:00So, that is the turning point where I decided to be hungry again.
03:04After I found my hunger, I decided to focus on solutions
03:08and explore what are the things I still can do.
03:10My father was encouraging me to further my studies.
03:14I studied very hard and graduated with a double-major degree.
03:18I was so happy.
03:20My parents and my friends are very happy for me.
03:23I thought I'm going to find a good job soon.
03:26But life is not a bed of roses.
03:29In 2008, the world was struck by a financial crisis.
03:32The financial market and job market were badly affected.
03:36Fresh graduates find it hard to find a job.
03:38Fresh graduates with visual impairments like me find it even harder.
03:42I sent out 20 over-resumes,
03:46went for 12 interviews,
03:48told the employers that I have visual impairments,
03:50and they started to question me.
03:52Steve, are you sure you can do this job?
03:56Steve, are you sure you are finding the right job?
04:00I was unable to find a job for almost a year.
04:02All my fellow friends in my universities,
04:05they are either starting to work or they are not.
04:07I was feeling depressed and dejected at that point of time
04:10and felt like giving up.
04:12But then the inner voice of me told me that I can't stop there.
04:15So I continued to improve myself,
04:17whether it's in resume writing skills,
04:19whether it's communication skills,
04:21whether it's in interpersonal relations skills,
04:23that can help me to find a job.
04:26So on my 13th interview,
04:27I was shortlisted to work in a call centre.
04:30And that's where my career journey began.
04:33I was working in a call centre for a while.
04:35And that's where my career journey began.
04:38I think people can better understand
04:40people with visual impairments like me
04:42and other people with other disabilities
04:44is by showing more empathy.
04:46Empathy is very important because
04:48it will help to cultivate a person
04:50to be a more caring and compassionate adult.
04:54And in turn, it will build a gracious and harmonious society.
05:00In 2015, when Singapore hosted the SEA Games
05:02and the ASEAN Para Games,
05:05one of my visually impaired friends came to ask me
05:08if I want to try out playing football.
05:11I was very curious how this game is being played.
05:14So the Singapore Disability Sports Council in charge called me
05:18and asked me if I want to go down to give it a try out.
05:20I was so curious and this curiosity brought me
05:24to go down to try out the sport.
05:26And when I played the game, I felt enabled again.
05:29And I trained hard, became the captain of the team
05:32and represented Singapore to participate in the ASEAN Para Games in 2015.
05:37This is where my sports journey began.
05:40In 2017, I was introduced to another sport.
05:43The same staff from the Singapore Disability Sports Council called me
05:47and asked if I wanted to try tandem cycling.
05:50After three months of consideration,
05:52I decided to go down to try the sport.
05:54I trained hard and together with my cycling pilot,
05:57we represented Singapore to participate
06:00in the ASEAN Para Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2017.
06:04And we are lucky to win a medal for Team Singapore.
06:08So that is where the cycling journey began.
06:12We are given more opportunities to participate in races and competitions
06:17in the ASEAN and Asian region.
06:19And we are lucky to win more medals for Singapore.
06:23In February 2019, I received good news from the Singapore National Paralympic Council
06:29that both my cycling pilot and I have earned a slot for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
06:35That's where the Paralympic journey began.
06:39I made a hard decision to leave my job and train full-time as a full-time athlete.
06:45The journey is tough.
06:47We face a lot of difficulties and adversities along the journey.
06:51But we persevere and believe that the game will come true.
06:57And indeed, we flew to Tokyo and participated in the Games.
07:05And we are very happy that we have broke our personal best and the national record.
07:12And it was a double delight for us.
07:15Many of you may think that cycling is a difficult sport for people with visual impairment.
07:20But with the help and the guidance of a support team like my cycling pilot,
07:26my coach, my gym trainer and all the staffs of the Singapore Sports Institute
07:32and all my friends, families and loved ones, it is actually very manageable.
07:38Without them, I won't be able to achieve my goals.
07:41Ultimately, it's still the hunger within you and how bad you want it.
07:48After the Paralympic Games, I took a long break to relax, recharge and rejuvenate myself.
07:55And I started to focus on self-development.
08:00And that is where I was very fascinated about life coaching and health and wellness.
08:06So I decided to self-study to get myself certified.
08:11And I was certified to be a master health and wellness coach.
08:15And after that, I decided to continue to self-improve myself again.
08:22And I got to be certified as a life coach.
08:25Through public speaking and life coaching,
08:28that's where I realised that I'm able to inspire and empower individuals
08:33to adopt the power of hunger, resilience and mental toughness mindset
08:39to overcome adversities in their life.
08:42After a sense of fulfilment, when people came to me after my talk or workshop,
08:48they told me that, thank you for sharing your story and journey.
08:51You have inspired us and we will continue our life journey to be a better person.
08:58And we will definitely overcome all the adversities we face in our life.
09:04My next goal is to write my own book to share my story and journey
09:10to more people around the world.
09:12I hope to inspire and empower them to adopt the power of hunger
09:17to overcome any adversities they face in their life.
Comments