Horatio's the hero in this play

SINGAPORE - He was advised by his doctor to leave his beloved team just before the start of the A Division football season after a post-viral infection left him with double vision.

But that didn't stop goalkeeper and team captain Horatio Ho from helping Victoria Junior College (VJC) claim the Boys' A Division title in May.

In February, Horatio, who was named after the character from William Shakespeare's Hamlet, suffered a severe bout of tonsillitis during the Chinese New Year period, causing him to miss training.

While his throat got better after a week's rest, Horatio's condition soon took a curious turn for the worse.

After participating in his school's cross country competition, the Liverpool fan started seeing double. While he shrugged it off initially, the problem became too big to ignore.

The 17-year-old told The New Paper: "I started to see superimposed images and I think it happened every time I was exhausted.

"On the following Monday during training after doing fitness, I was doing ball work when I realised I really couldn't play at all because I started seeing two balls and I didn't know which to control.

"I really couldn't do anything, so I told my coach."

A doctor's visit soon became a hospital referral and a five-day stay for testing.

In the end, it was discovered Horatio's nerves had been damaged while his immune system battled the tonsillitis.

While he was ruled out initially, Horatio's determination to represent his school eventually led to a solution with some help from his parents, James and Delphine.

He said: "The doctor said she was going to give me a special pair of spectacles with prism lenses inside to correct my vision, so I thought if there was nothing wrong with me physically, I could still play.

Special goggles

"So my parents brought me to get a pair of sports goggles, which we brought to the hospital to have the special lens inserted."

Despite needing to adjust to the new head gear and having just a week of training before the season, Horatio acclimatised.

He went on to lead his side to the climax of their season with a pulsating 3-2 win over Raffles Institution at the Jalan Besar Stadium in the final.

Of his captain, VJC teacher-coach Tan Yew Hwee said: "He's been in the school for four years (because of VJC's Integrated Programme) and he knows me well enough to represent me on the field.

"He was earmarked for a position on the student council, but he made a sacrifice for the team and turned them down.

"I know I can trust him to lead the team and get what I ask from."

While his vision has since returned to normal, the whole experience has left an indelible mark on the cheery teen, who aspires to become a sports journalist.

He said: "It was very important for me, this year especially, because I was the captain and it is every student's dream to lead their school out.

"The whole experience showed me that anything was possible if I set my mind to it, even under the most difficult challenges."

gregloo@sph.com.sg

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