Rising above: How an NTUC bursary empowers a student living with cerebral palsy

There are countless things we often take for granted, such as starting a new day with a refreshing shower, sifting through various outfits to choose our attire, or even tying our shoelaces before heading out the door.

These are things many of us can do quickly and independently every day. But for Keith, it's a different story.

Keith Tan, 21, has cerebral palsy – a debilitating condition that has affected his movement and posture.

Before learning how to use a wheelchair when he was 6, he could only get around with a stroller.

Today, he still struggles with everyday tasks.

“I take longer to get dressed, I have to shower using a shower chair, and tasks like wearing shoes and socks, I also need help with those things every and then,” he shared.

But Keith is a fighter. Despite being dealt the short straw in life, he constantly challenges himself to be financially and physically independent before he enters the workforce.

Managing cerebral palsy with limited finances

Besides his disability, Keith’s financial circumstances were tight growing up.

In kindergarten, his parents separated, leaving his mum as the sole breadwinner for the family.

Besides balancing the family’s daily expenses, Keith’s mum has had to set aside money to pay for his medical bills while looking after Keith’s elderly, retired grandparents.

The four of them currently live together.

Keith’s mum, Jenny Tan, 55, doesn’t ask for a lot – just for Keith to one day be able to take care of himself.

She said: “Keith is very sensible … My only worry is that one day, when I am no longer around, will he be alone, and how will he manage?

“I just hope that in the future, he will be able to find a job, a good job. A job that allows him to feed himself and take care of himself. That’s all I want for him.”

Breaking the barrier with the NTUC Care Fund

Despite his physical limitations, Keith recently developed a love for para sports, particularly powerlifting.

Over the last couple of years, he has been hitting the weights at the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC), pushing his strengths to the limit.

He said: “It is just good to let loose. Lifting gives me so much joy because of the community there. Also, I’m free from judgement. Everyone is the same there, and the weights don’t discriminate.”

Beyond the gym, Keith is also excelling at his studies.

Even though he remains humble that studying was never his strong suit, he was recently a recipient of the NTUC Care Fund (Education Awards).

The awards are for school-going children of lower-income union members. The idea is to motivate youth to excel in their studies.

Depending on their tertiary education level, recipients will also receive between $400 to $600.

Regarding the awards, Keith said: “I think this whole award initiative is good because it can help my mum financially.

“It is also a great motivator. It has been quite encouraging to receive this award!”

Jenny added: “These awards do help a lot financially … It has really helped me a lot with Keith’s studies.”

Supporting mum for her sacrifices

Keith is now doing his final year in Interaction Design at Nanyang Polytechnic and hopes to be a User Experience Designer one day.

He believes that his unique position allows him to better understand the intricacies that go into designing user interfaces for software applications.

He also hopes to pursue a part-time degree and finance his studies while working.

More importantly, he hopes to be able to support his mum for all she has done for him.

“Once I graduate, I would most ideally want to be able to support my mum … She has given me a lot of support in what I want to do and what I want to learn.”

Want to make a difference in the lives of students like Keith? Donate to the NTUC-U Care Fund.