A fortnight ago, I hurt my right thumb accidentally in a soccer game, when my father was attending a teacher-parent conference in the classroom after a monthly exam. I had come out first in my class in the exam. Hearing of my injury, my classmates displayed mixed reactions. Some commiserated with me. Others quoted a Chinese saying, “Extreme happiness breeds misery.”

With the teacher’s consent, I was rushed without delay to the hospital for an X-ray. Before the results came out, I counted myself lucky, because I was spared a gruelling 2.5-hour-long weekend science exam by the injury. “What a blessing in disguise!” I said to myself.

When the doctor showed me the X-ray, I was incredulous. The bone in my right thumb was fractured. Looking at my school uniform, he said sympathetically, “Boy, I’m sorry to tell you that you will have to undergo an operation. It is not a big deal, but it might keep you away from school for over a week.”

The doctor’s words left me forgetting about the pain temporarily. My heart was in pieces. My classmates, my teachers, and my soccer games, I had to be away from them all for such a long time. I was speechless.

Back home, I had to learn to use the left hand for everyday chores. In the evening at dinner, it was the first time I had ever tried to eat with my left hand. It seemed as if I was all fingers and thumbs. It was so awkward. At night before bed, I found I could not brush my teeth on my own. Worse still, Mother had to help me undress.

This experience has helped heighten my awareness of what someone with a disability suffers. Though the doctor said it is just a minor injury, I have gone through so much inconvenience so far. You will not appreciate the importance of your health until you have lost it.