How do you make peace with the sudden news of an incurable eye condition that ends with total blindness? Retired Paralympian Steve Tee recounts on discovering his sudden vision loss after national service, his subsequent loss of motivation, and rediscovering the purpose in life through competitive sports and motivational speaking.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00When I heard about this, I was heartbroken.
00:03I was feeling shocked and depressed.
00:06I was wondering, why me?
00:09Why me?
00:17Hi, my name is Steve T.
00:18I'm currently working full-time at Apple.
00:21I'm a retired Paralympian,
00:23doing paracycling and specializing in tandem cycling.
00:27During my free time, I'm a motivational public speaker,
00:31a certified life coach,
00:32and a master health and wellness coach.
00:35Back in 2004, after my National Service,
00:38I was diagnosed with this incurable eye condition
00:41called Racket-Nutty's Pigmentosa.
00:44This condition started off with night blindness.
00:46That means I can't see well at night and at dim places.
00:50Over time, my sight will get narrower and blurrer,
00:54eventually leading to total or near-total blindness.
00:58Doctors told me that there's no cure or treatment for this condition yet,
01:02and it will deteriorate over the years.
01:05When I heard about this, I was heartbroken.
01:08I was feeling shocked and depressed.
01:12I was wondering, why me?
01:15Why me?
01:18As I was unable to do all the things I usually take for granted,
01:22like reading, writing, drawing, playing computer games,
01:27watching dramas and movies,
01:29chilling out with friends, shopping,
01:31and traveling around the world.
01:33When I was first diagnosed with this eye condition,
01:36no one understood what the actual condition is like.
01:40My parents and my friends didn't understand why I have this condition.
01:44When I tried to explain to them,
01:46they couldn't seem to fully understand about it.
01:49So, I decided to isolate myself away from all my friends
01:55and all the social activities.
01:57Whenever my friends asked me to go out,
01:59I would tell them no.
02:01One day, I was awakened by the sound of thunder.
02:04It was raining heavily outside,
02:07and I realized that I'm not eaten for the whole day.
02:09I went to the kitchen and looked for food.
02:11There isn't any, and no one was at home at that moment.
02:15Because of my hunger, I decided to grab an umbrella
02:18and go and get my food.
02:21I tripped and fell along the way,
02:23and my knee was badly injured and bruised.
02:28It was very painful.
02:30But because of my hunger, I continued to go and get my food.
02:35So, after getting my food, and while I was eating,
02:38that was when I realized,
02:39hey, if you are hungry, you will find a way to get your food.
02:43So, likewise, if you are hungry enough,
02:45you'll find ways to overcome your adversities in your life.
02:50So, that is the moment where I realized
02:52why I have lost my hunger in my life,
02:56doesn't want to do anything, and isolate myself at home.
03:00So, that is the turning point where I decided to be hungry again.
03:04After I found my hunger, I decided to focus on solutions
03:08and explore what are the things I still can do.
03:10My father was encouraging me to further my studies.
03:14I studied very hard and graduated with a double-major degree.
03:18I was so happy.
03:20My parents and my friends are very happy for me.
03:23I thought I'm going to find a good job soon.
03:26But life is not a bed of roses.
03:29In 2008, the world was struck by a financial crisis.
03:32The financial market and job market were badly affected.
03:36Fresh graduates find it hard to find a job.
03:38Fresh graduates with visual impairments like me find it even harder.
03:42I sent out 20 over-resumes,
03:46went for 12 interviews,
03:48told the employers that I have visual impairments,
03:50and they started to question me.
03:52Steve, are you sure you can do this job?
03:56Steve, are you sure you are finding the right job?
04:00I was unable to find a job for almost a year.
04:02All my fellow friends in my universities,
04:05they are either starting to work or they are not.
04:07I was feeling depressed and dejected at that point of time
04:10and felt like giving up.
04:12But then the inner voice of me told me that I can't stop there.
04:15So I continued to improve myself,
04:17whether it's in resume writing skills,
04:19whether it's communication skills,
04:21whether it's in interpersonal relations skills,
04:23that can help me to find a job.
04:26So on my 13th interview,
04:27I was shortlisted to work in a call centre.
04:30And that's where my career journey began.
04:33I was working in a call centre for a while.
04:35And that's where my career journey began.
04:38I think people can better understand
04:40people with visual impairments like me
04:42and other people with other disabilities
04:44is by showing more empathy.
04:46Empathy is very important because
04:48it will help to cultivate a person
04:50to be a more caring and compassionate adult.
04:54And in turn, it will build a gracious and harmonious society.
05:00In 2015, when Singapore hosted the SEA Games
05:02and the ASEAN Para Games,
05:05one of my visually impaired friends came to ask me
05:08if I want to try out playing football.
05:11I was very curious how this game is being played.
05:14So the Singapore Disability Sports Council in charge called me
05:18and asked me if I want to go down to give it a try out.
05:20I was so curious and this curiosity brought me
05:24to go down to try out the sport.
05:26And when I played the game, I felt enabled again.
05:29And I trained hard, became the captain of the team
05:32and represented Singapore to participate in the ASEAN Para Games in 2015.
05:37This is where my sports journey began.
05:40In 2017, I was introduced to another sport.
05:43The same staff from the Singapore Disability Sports Council called me
05:47and asked if I wanted to try tandem cycling.
05:50After three months of consideration,
05:52I decided to go down to try the sport.
05:54I trained hard and together with my cycling pilot,
05:57we represented Singapore to participate
06:00in the ASEAN Para Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2017.
06:04And we are lucky to win a medal for Team Singapore.
06:08So that is where the cycling journey began.
06:12We are given more opportunities to participate in races and competitions
06:17in the ASEAN and Asian region.
06:19And we are lucky to win more medals for Singapore.
06:23In February 2019, I received good news from the Singapore National Paralympic Council
06:29that both my cycling pilot and I have earned a slot for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
06:35That's where the Paralympic journey began.
06:39I made a hard decision to leave my job and train full-time as a full-time athlete.
06:45The journey is tough.
06:47We face a lot of difficulties and adversities along the journey.
06:51But we persevere and believe that the game will come true.
06:57And indeed, we flew to Tokyo and participated in the Games.
07:05And we are very happy that we have broke our personal best and the national record.
07:12And it was a double delight for us.
07:15Many of you may think that cycling is a difficult sport for people with visual impairment.
07:20But with the help and the guidance of a support team like my cycling pilot,
07:26my coach, my gym trainer and all the staffs of the Singapore Sports Institute
07:32and all my friends, families and loved ones, it is actually very manageable.
07:38Without them, I won't be able to achieve my goals.
07:41Ultimately, it's still the hunger within you and how bad you want it.
07:48After the Paralympic Games, I took a long break to relax, recharge and rejuvenate myself.
07:55And I started to focus on self-development.
08:00And that is where I was very fascinated about life coaching and health and wellness.
08:06So I decided to self-study to get myself certified.
08:11And I was certified to be a master health and wellness coach.
08:15And after that, I decided to continue to self-improve myself again.
08:22And I got to be certified as a life coach.
08:25Through public speaking and life coaching,
08:28that's where I realised that I'm able to inspire and empower individuals
08:33to adopt the power of hunger, resilience and mental toughness mindset
08:39to overcome adversities in their life.
08:42After a sense of fulfilment, when people came to me after my talk or workshop,
08:48they told me that, thank you for sharing your story and journey.
08:51You have inspired us and we will continue our life journey to be a better person.
08:58And we will definitely overcome all the adversities we face in our life.
09:04My next goal is to write my own book to share my story and journey
09:10to more people around the world.
09:12I hope to inspire and empower them to adopt the power of hunger
09:17to overcome any adversities they face in their life.