Marcus and his mother Mrs Yang are a tiny family of two, and they face life’s challenges as a team. Marcus is in kindergarten, and was diagnosed with autism early enough for intervention to help. His mother has fought hard to get him help through government services, such as physiotherapy and speech therapy with Heep Hong Society. Mrs Yang was working as a beauty therapist, but the hours were long and she couldn’t give Marcus the attention and support he needed, so she stopped working and now devotes herself to his needs full time, relying on CSSA funding to cover their expenses.
The duo had been assigned a public housing flat, but, with their slim budget, they couldn’t afford to furnish it, so they turned to Crossroads for help. They took a range of furniture to equip their new home. It was in the detail, though, that we most fully saw this mother’s heart. She had deep understanding of the touches that would make Marcus’ life easier. She quietly told our volunteers, for example, “He’s afraid of the dark, but there’s only a 20cm space beside his bed for a lamp.” Our team helped her find a light to fit, to help him feel secure at night. She told us Marcus has a special obsession with cars and was excited to get a toy car for him from our stock.
People say that a true test of justice is the way we treat the poorest and most vulnerable in our midst. We want to do all we can to contribute towards justice of that kind.
