Why this Hong Kong lawmaker who fights for the disadvantaged wishes he had been a better father
Social welfare sector representative Fernando Cheung reflects on raising a child with special needs
From fighting for the rights of ethnic minorities to helping the disadvantaged, Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung is proud of the recognition he has won for his contributions to the social welfare sector. But the 60-year-old lawmaker has one lingering regret: he wishes he had been a better father.
Life is understandably difficult for him as a parent raising a 26-year-old daughter with a severe intellectual disability. Cheung, however, wants to tell other families with special-needs children that it is all right to seek help from others.
“Everything seemed to be perfect at first when I was working and living in the US,” Cheung recalls. “I thought I had a bright future there. I knew what to do next in my career. But eventually I had no choice but to come back so that my other family members could help take care of my eldest daughter.”
Cheung, father of a son and two daughters who are all in their 20s, expresses a sense of guilt for devoting almost all his time to his second child, thinking he has somehow neglected the other two.
“I know there’s no way I could ever compensate them,” he says. “But I hope they can find their purpose in life. And as for me and my wife, I hope we can continue to take care of our elder daughter while we still can.”