IAM Group Ltd | Never Too Late

Through the eyes of strangers, Michael is just a normal 15 year old young lad who has a bright future ahead and a happy home who cares for him. When you get to know him though, you will be surprised that this red-haired, handsome young man has epilepsy and has neuroendocrine tumor, a kind of cancer that target the intestines and grows rapidly inside. Also, he has been living with a partner orphanage of ours ever since his Japanese mother went home to Yokohama when he was 10 and was never heard again. He never knew about his father. Since then, he has been volunteering with IAM Group Limited while still continuously searching for his mom. Getting acquainted with him and knowing about his circumstance, I have never heard any remorse from him, nor did I saw him angry or sad. He would just always say, “There is nothing wrong in my life. I just have a very unique battle. And this battle will not be given if I cannot conquer it”. He would then wink with his little eyes and whistles away. There are times that I would catch him thinking deeply and when he realizes that you are watching, he would quickly plant a smile on his face.

Michael’s greatest dream is to be a firefighter. He would always be mesmerized while watching fire trucks go by. He promised me that someday, he would. One of our senior volunteer heard his wish one day and planned a surprise birthday party for him: one that would really make him happy.

One day, while we were in a read-a-book program in IAM Group Ltd. with one of our educational charity partners, we were all alarmed when sirens began blasting near the school where we were conducting the charity works. All of us tried our best not to panic and along with Michael, I ran outside to see what was happening. Three fire trucks were in front of us and about 20 fire fighters with their red uniforms formed a line in front of us. The children who we were teaching earlier suddenly ran in front of the firefighters, took out their placards which read Happy Birthday, Michael and sang wholeheartedly. I also brought out the cake which was already melting ever since I hid it under the table and lighted the candle and sang with them. I can see Michael’s surprised and unbelieving eyes were already full of tears when he blew the candle. The chief of fire fighters also came forward and gave Michael an honorary medal and certificate which states that he is already a member of the local fire department. It was such a memorable moment for all of us and we cheered while all of us were crying.

Two months later, after attending a real fire himself as a volunteer, Michael passed away. Despite not having met his mother who until now has not come back, and having cancer, he was still brave enough to smile and conquer all the challenges and saw the beauty in life. We will always remember the lesson he left behind.