RESILIENCY IN ACTION!
This is the first time that the 4 inspirational speakers from POSITIVE SYNERGY will be sharing their personal life stories and challenges together in one platform.
Inspirational Speakers:
- Aishah (Ex-National Shooter)
- Shariff (Singapore Blade - Runner)
- Abdul Alim (X3 Blade Runner/Triathlete)
- Bey (Bey On Wheels)
Come and find out...
- How they bounce back from their life challenges and adversities?
- What are their success factors?
- How you can make a positive change in your life?
Date: 17 August 2013 (Sat)
Time: 2pm-5pm
Venue: National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC)The Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #04-88(Above Clark Quay MRT Station)
I first got to hear of Aishah in March this year when her shooting colleagues decided to do a charity shoot to help her raise funds for her bebionic arms. I googled for her story, found it amazing, and went for the charity shoot. Enjoyed myself on the SAFRA Air rifle range that day.
Befriending Aishah on Facebook, I found that she gives motivational talks. I offered to do a Graphic Recording for her at one of her talks. Aishah put me in touch with Vincent Soo who runs this small social enterprise to help mobility challenged individuals by giving them a platform to give inspirational talks. Vincent allowed me to come to this talk and do a GR for the four speakers.
Armed with their names and their FB links I was able to preselect some pictures of these four speakers and convert the portraits to "pencil sketch" with an iPhone app. This pencil sketch was easy to outline with 6 B pencil and simulate on paper with Copic marker . I did one each on a,4x6 foot sheet. I have become a fan of Copic Marker Pens as they are juicy, do not bleed through the paper and are not smelly. One single new Copic Marker (Black) helped me cover four sheets (that is 4 feet X 24 feet = 96 sq ft!) of graphic recording today without running out of ink.
Two thumbs up for Pan Pastels which had their first major markings today (thanks Brenda for the recommendation and help with online purchase)
Shariff Abdullah Peters aka SBR aka Singapore Blade Runner, exudes a positive mindset.
Looking at my sketch of him before we began his talk, he asked me to add the logo of his 2015 Everest endevor.
"How are you today?" he asks the audience.
"Good" is not a good enough reply for him.
"Awesome" he cues the audience.
And he encourages us to choose to be awesome.
Shariff is a MIA (Mobility Impaired Athlete)
SBR plunged into his account of taking part in the 2013 Boston marathon.
Flagging off at 9 am he managed to reach the 40 km mark in good time,
( despite having forgot ton his Vaseline and developing stump blisters).
At 41 km he heard the twin blasts.
Then police stopped the race and directed every one home.
With no public transport available he had to walk back to his hotel.
later on Facebook he found that his friends and supporters were safe.
Shariff then outlined the story of his life:
Born without a left foot, he was soon abandoned and adopted by a foster mother.
The kids made fun of him as he crawled around.
At age of 6 he got his first prosthetic leg.
He attended school but got shifted around three different schools.
His father and foster mother passed away.
These were some of life's hard blows.
Trying a job as a golf caddy he found that clients thought he could not do the job properly.
He decided to face life as a "normal" not a handicapped.
He made a choice:
Wore normal clothes.
Worked as
cleaner,
Cisco, Security
Body Guard,
Private Investigator.
Motivational Speaker.
Has managed to get married and has a wife and 3 daughters age 21, 18 &13.
Did not look after his stump adequately and got stump infection and required 3" amputation.
Advice for amputee:
Stump management:
Allow stump to air
Clean it
Change socks regularly
At dark period of his life found inspiration on Youtube from double amputee blade runner Oscar Pistorius.
Shariff trains hard for his running, with a schedule of 6 times a week.
He has covered during competition many hundreds of miles.
For the last few years
2010 he covered 359 miles during events
For 2011 the figure is 470 miles
In 2012 it was 520 miles.
In preparation for Everest 2015 he has attended Technical Mountaineering course.
POSITIVE THINKING has helped SBR and he shares five important areas of encouragement:
FOCUS
BELIEVE
WORK IT OUT
NEVER GIVE UP
MAKE IT HAPPEN.
$&Cents
Prosthetics are expensive
Need to consider /purchase/ replace: ordinary use or sports use
Socket
Blade
Blade sole
3 running legs
3 climbing legs
2 standard legs
plans to extend motivational talks to the region and beyond:
Indonesia
Malaysia
Vietnam.
Income generating activities include
Selling posters
Marketing Oregano Coffee.
Abdul Alim X3 = Extreme Blade Runner shared his story as MIA
Married with a son and a daughter.
Has done vertical marathon
KOM Batam
Rock Climbing.
Year 2009 he was hit by a lorry
18 hours of surgery
2 months hospitalisation
Period of hopelessness
then one night a flash of inspiration
surf internet
story of Dana Bowman, double amputee after sky diving accident: Returns to skydiving
story of John ?Celano
Alim had no one to guide him after his amputation
But he wants to mentor other who will want to know what to do after amputation.
Prosthetic leg costs:
Daily leg 12.5K
Running leg 19 K
Cycling leg 15K
Black Horse 7K (Carbon steel cycle)
As he has taken up tri-lathons, he has to pack a lot of luggage including:
3 sets of daily leg
3 sets of running leg
3 sets of cycling leg.
He used to swim breaststroke
but for competition had to learn freestyle:
Could barely do 5 metre, but now 500 metre in open waters
the result of HARD WORK and DETERMINATION
His dream: To take on IRON MAN
BEY on Wheels
17 years ago at age 19 motor cycle accident
No external injury but left him paraplegic (High thoracic) T4.
When told that he would be paralysed from chest downwards he told himself
"At least my face is still handsome with no scars" and
"At least I can still use my hands and arms".
"My mindset kept me strong
Even if I have to crawl I will keep on going."
Upon discharge from hospital he told his dad
"Do not come to fetch me
I want to learn how to do it myself."
On wheelchair he came to his HDB block:
Lift went up to level 17or 21
Bey lived on level 20.
So he went up to 21 and went backwards down the stairs in his wheelchair.
His parents wanted to modify his apartment but BEY refused.
He does not want to adapt environment to suit him but prefers to adapt himself to fit the environment.
With his "I AM POSSIBLE" mindset,
BEY had three take home messages
1) Every obstacle comes with a solution
2) SMILE (have a full length mirror to look into every morning)
3) Every thing happens for a good reason.
BEY attended motivational session where they did fire walking: He did fire-crawl!
PROTECT your mind with POSITIVE MINDSET
During Q&A
Bey shared how paraplegic have to learn to respond to different set of sensation as they lose their normal feelings: Pee and Poo Poo gives him tingling and rash.
With no sensation below, he can sit 10 hours on wheelchair
but he gets pressure sore: big hole which can not heal.
To prevent pressure sore should relieve pressure every 30 minutes.
Main grouse:
Public transport; facilities are good
BUT some people are shocking, dont give way, rush ahead of mobility impaired people.
Handicap car park: Often filled with no label Mercedes.
Mobility impaired need the wider space to get in and out.
Aishah had won SEA Games Gold medal for .22 small bore category.
Life was good
She was in Cisco Auxillary
Prisons trained
Defensive Driving
Shooting Coach
Leisure Bike Riding
2012 went with sister to Bali for her 40th Birthday celebration.
then to China
felt ill
stomach ache
saw doctor.
On 6 hour flight back to singapore, feverish
rushed to Changi Hospital
Septic Shock
Multi-organ failure: Kidneys, Liver, Lungs
GANGRENE
Advised to amputate hands and feet
family buried these for her.
After surgery:
Yes felt sad
Hospital psychiatrist "why you didn't cry?"
"Can crying add one inch to my leg?
Will it make my leg grow?"
BUT there were dark moments
Suicidal thoughts
take poison
jump down
suffocate....
THEN the thought
"Family and friends are all here to support me"
"Why am I being selfish?"
Feel bad when people stare at her as "alien"
Strongly dislike being "pitied".
Sister encouraged her "Aishah, you are still who you are"
This was turning point
Physically challenged but not disabled.
CONFIDENCE
(not arrogance)
I am very independent.
A wild cat on a zig zag.
still wants to go motorcycling.
Owns three "sports cars" wheelchairs.
Mercedes (Grey)
Lamborgini (Blue)
Porche (Red)
Strength come from her pillars: Family and friends
Going in September to Edinburgh for her Bebionic hands fitting and training.
SBR poses
Alim 3X Blade Runner
Bey on wheels
Aishah
The team!
