Jenny Pong Seow Chin, 48, may be a tiny woman without her limbs yet she is anything but tiny. Jenny is on a mission to inspire and motivate others like her through talk sessions conducted by a non-profit organisation known as ehomemakers.
Coming from a humble background, Jenny grew up in a small village in Ipoh with her parents and six other siblings. To feed them, her parents had to resort to growing their own vegetables and raising their own chickens. Due to their harsh living conditions, Jenny had to stop schooling when she was at the age of 12 to help out with the family. Jenny lost both her legs barely into her twenties after giving birth to stillborn twins. She was diagnosed with post-natal virus infection and fell into a coma for two long years.
“While I was in my comatose condition, my mother and family were the main source of support I had. Even though I wasn’t able to move or open my eyes, I was conscious and could hear everything around me clearly. My mother, believing that I would come around one day, stood by my side and took good care of me. My father-in-law believed I was dead and wanted me removed,” she recounted.
Today, Jenny is aspiring to become like world renowned speaker Nick Vujicic, who could motivate and inspire others to love and appreciate life. Although Jenny’s education is very much lacking, she makes up by taking English lessons provided by ehomemakers.
“I am really blessed with such a loving family and teachers who are helping me to achieve my dreams. I believe that God really loves me. Although he took away my limbs, he gave me so much more in return. I’ve been tutored these past two months by renowned emcee K.T. Pillai and Mr Cheah from Toastmasters YMCA Ipoh, and my English has improved tremendously. I believe that with time and determination, I can soon stand before an audience to share my experiences,” she exclaimed.
Jenny shared with Ipoh Echo the challenges she faced the past 30 years. Those concerning her health, especially, were difficult to overcome. Aside from her daily classes, Jenny has to travel back and forth to the hospital for checkups. She is currently diagnosed with diabetes and a heart condition. She has a few doctor appointments yet to be completed.
Jenny is also a woman with many capabilities. She not only helps out with the chores in the house she currently shares with her younger brother and his family but cooks dinner on weekends. Lying flat on her stomach on a trolley made by her younger brother, Jenny shows us how it is done by frying an egg.
Jenny is recognised by the society, as well as the media, as someone who is determined and optimistic who does her best to live her life to the fullest. Jenny was awarded the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (PJK) in 1988 by the Sultan of Perak. Publications, such as The Star and Portraits of Perseverance, have written articles on her efforts to improve herself and others like her. Jenny was one of the winners of the Hiruscar Beautiful Contest for being the most inspiring and “beautiful” people of 2014.
Presently, Jenny is under the management of ehomemakers, a community network that promotes working from home, teleworking and conducting businesses through the use of information and communications technology. Ehomemakers promotes self-help, business partnerships and entrepreneurship development for those who want to balance work and home life. Their profit is derived from projects focusing on eco-baskets production and service-provision to empower women to embark on social-economic self-reliance. For more information, log on to www.ehomemakers.net.
Yvette
