Lim Yong Jin (18S10)

Deteriorating health and mobility did not deter Lim Yong Jin (18S10), from persisting to complete his A Levels and pursue his sporting aspirations.

Lim Yong Jin was just like any other student when he first joined Jurong Junior College in 2016, hoping to complete his A’ levels in 2 years and had a CCA he loved. An extremely responsible captain of the college’s Taekwondo team, he led his team with great dedication. Unfortunately, he did not do well enough for his A levels examinations in 2017 and chose to re-sit for his examinations again in 2018. However, misfortune hit before he could complete his examinations that year and his journey towards completion of his A level examinations became more protracted than he had expected.

For a sportsman, this misfortune that befell was a huge devastation for Yong Jin. Nearing his preliminary examinations, Yong Jin came to know that he was suffering from brain deterioration that affected his movement and coordination. His world came crashing down on him. For one who was so dedicated to Taekwondo, it was almost unthinkable for him. He found himself having to relearn how to walk and talk. Each day became a struggle, not just emotionally but physically. It was a huge turn in his life that greatly affected his Taekwondo training and activities.

The school understood his plight and let him pull out of the A levels, gave him time and space for rehabilitation and assured him a space in the merged college, JPJC, to do his A levels. This assurance helped Yong Jin slowly pick himself up. His resilience and strength of character was evident in how he ‘fought’ to return to school. His grit impressed all his teachers. Amongst them, Head of PE and CCA of JPJC, Ms Leo Ying Ching commented that despite all the setbacks, Yong Jin remained a very polite and humble boy, passionate about Taekwondo and continued to contribute to the CCA. He would even attempt to attend some of the CCA sessions even while he was in rehabilitation. A very commendable spirit indeed!

When Yong Jin, rejoined school in 2019, the young man saw himself faced with more than he had bargained for. He not only had to adjust to a new environment and to new peers, his learning pace was slower. He struggled to write notes at lectures and complete tests or simple tasks in class. He experienced seizures that caused him to face setbacks in his progress. He shared that those episodes demoralized him the most. All this made his final year in college extremely challenging. But his love for Taekwondo continued with him. He imparted his knowledge to the 1st JPJC Taekwondo team, sharing techniques with the team. His CCA gave him an avenue to battle the challenge. As a sportsman, he understood that he needed to be determined and resilient, to overcome the challenges that had, and will continue to, come his way. He admits that the final months to the exams were the hardest. He tried to fight against his own physical challenges and persevered in his preparations for the examinations. He never once thought of giving up knowing that he had already come so far. He wanted to give his best regardless of the outcome. This admirable and indomitable spirit of his is an inspiration to many of his juniors and peers.

His aspires to become a sports physiotherapist as his own physiotherapist has inspired him. Yong Jin wants his juniors to know that they would face challenges along the way. But they must never feel defeated. With a positive mindset, the setbacks can be overcome. His aspiration in sports is undying. Even though he still experiences seizures, he continues to pursue his passion in Taekwondo, which remains his motivation and strength.