Duchenne: Shalom's Lifelong Partner-in-Crime — Shalom Lim Ern Rong

On Dec. 4, I performed British singer-songwriter Calum Scott’s 2017 pop ballad “You Are the Reason” at a live caroling session with ART:DIS, the first organization in Singapore to pioneer the artistic development of members of the disabled community. The performance was part of the annual Enabling Lives…

On Nov. 27, I attended a live performance by ART:DIS musician Sky Shen, an old friend from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore) (MDAS). The show featured his recent debut EP, “Wheel You Love Me?” — a collection of songs he wrote about his experiences with…

On Nov. 10, I delivered my second poem, “Breaking the Fourth Wall,” at an engagement by ART:DIS, the first organization in Singapore to pioneer the artistic development of members of the disabled community. The goal of ART:DIS is to unearth the creative talents and diverse gifts of disabled Singaporeans…

I celebrated my 27th birthday on Oct. 25 and feel tremendously blessed to have made it this far, especially with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Duke (my pet name for Duchenne) has taken me through many arduous trials and difficult times, including feeling marginalized within my own disability community. Still,…

Warning: This column contains spoilers for the Netflix musical film “tick, tick…BOOM!” In my last column, I wrote about my relationship with the concept of crip time, which addresses how time works differently in the lives of disabled people. Crip time has enabled me to accept who I am…

Note: This column includes thoughts about suicide. Resources for help are listed at the end of the column. I delivered my first research presentation at the College of Alice & Peter Tan (CAPT) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) on Sept. 17. In March, my favorite lecturer from my…

Last week, I started a new job as a part-time community partnerships executive with K9Assistance, Singapore’s first assistance dog advocacy organization. Assistance dogs are service dogs trained to help disabled people perform tasks to mitigate their impairments. As a Duchenne muscular dystrophy survivor, I’ve always been intrigued…

As a person with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, I’ve always felt socially deprived and isolated. It’s been an extremely painful and lonely journey for me. Many of us with Duchenne also have undiagnosed anxiety and depressive disorders, adding layers of complexity to our already arduous paths. Most…

“You’ve got a friend in me.” The title of my favorite Disney theme song, by Randy Newman, has never had greater significance for me. The last thing I would’ve expected to be my friend has, in the depths of grief and sorrow, become my strongest ally. I am a…