Positive outlook

Jia Yong said that when he was diagnosed at 3, the doctor told his family that he wouldn't be able to walk beyond age 8 and would live only up to 15.

He tried to continue walking as he grew up. But by 8, his legs became too weak and he gave up when he kept falling down.

Even now, he is so unhappy about not being able to walk that Madam Mok said she avoids taking him to places where shoes are sold.

Nonetheless, Jia Yong said he was contented to have "outlived" the doctor's prediction by four years.

But he is unsure about the future. A part of him feels he might be better off dead because of the burden on his mother, but he also feels it is important to stay active.

Selling snacks has given him a purpose in life, he said.

Similarly, Kelvin told Lianhe Wanbao that selling sweets gave gave him a more positive outlook of life.

He said he had studied hard because he wanted to be a working professional, but no one would employ him.

Jia Yong's mother said the family is not in immediate financial need. They have been receiving assistance from the Society of the Physically Disabled (SPD), the Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore), and the Make a Wish Foundation.

An SPD spokesman said it had supported Jia Yong through bursary and enrichment programmes and assessed him for assistive technology devices. When he was in school, it found him a suitable keyboard.

SPD social workers have also worked with his mother to help her cope.

Jia Yong's father, 56, is a welder, and they live in a four-room Woodlands Circle flat. They recently bought a car.

They have not applied for a licence for JiaYong to sell the snacks, but Madam Mok said she would co-operate with the authorities.

A National Environment Agency spokesman said it is an offence to sell things in a public place without a licence. Action will be taken against those caught doing so.

She explained that illegal hawking of items like food can pose a public health hazard. It also competes with legitimate businesses and clutters up public places.

Illegal hawkers who are physically challenged will be referred to community support organisations for financial assistance, she added.

Jia Yong said: "The reality is that it's impossible for me to get a job, because of the things I can't do. I don't even want to think about what the future might hold.

"I'm just living one day at a time. I just don't want to die doing nothing."

This article was first published in The New Paper.