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Ella Lee

Others may think it a misfortune, but Cheung Yi-kit says having a disease that is slowly 'eating up' his body has failed to sap his zest for life.

 Like Roberto Benigni's movie Life is Beautiful - which told how a father turned the reality of a Holocaust concentration camp into an amusement park for his son - the 20-year-old Duchenne muscular dystrophy patient has outwardly shrugged off his predicament.

 Since becoming wheelchair-bound at the age of 10, Mr Cheung's body has been shrinking.

 His limbs have no strength, which means he cannot stand or raise his arm.

 'I don't feel sorry for myself. As long as I have a happy life, I don't really care how long it lasts,' he said.

 Mr Cheung is one of four such patients receiving help at the Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital.

 He is a Form Five student at the Red Cross John Kennedy school, a boarding school for the seriously disabled opposite the hospital in Sandy Bay.

 For two years he has had to wear an oxygen mask overnight so he can be fit enough to attend class the next day.

 Doctors said Mr Cheung could have died had he not taken the therapy, which could possibly prolong his life for several more years.

 Mr Cheung started to have trouble walking and climbing stairs when he was eight.

 'My mother took me to many doctors for more than a year, but none knew what was wrong,' he said.

 He was sent to the mainland for treatment by herbalists and acupuncturists.

  It was not until he was referred to the children's hospital that his condition was diagnosed.

 'I don't feel bad about it because it is happening slowly. I already got used to it when I was small,' Mr Cheung said.

 'I don't think about death. I'm not afraid of it. Everyone has the same path.

 'Sometimes I read newspaper reports about suicide. Those people are so stupid. They should have treasured their lives.

 'I have three or four friends who died of the same disease. They just disappeared from school. But I'm not shocked because we're all prepared for it.'  Mr Cheung usually spends weekends with his parents and four-year-old sister at their Yuen Long home.

 He is confident of passing the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination next year and said his future was bright.



Determined patient keeps lust for life despite affliction's toll