PENAMPANG: Like any other children, Brenda Anellia Larry can wash, cook and do all sorts of house chores on her own.
The only difference for Brenda is that she does all these things, and many more, without arms.
Not only that, the 12-year-old SK Luyang pupil said she wanted to add another ability to her impressive list of capabilities.
“I want to be an athlete swimmer,” said Brenda shyly as she opened up about her life to the New Straits Times.
Brenda had just received her Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) results today. Although she was not entirely happy with her score, but like all things in life, Brenda believed she could always improve in future.
For now, other than having a mixed feeling of nervousness and excitement when entering secondary school next year, swimming appeared to have taken centre stage in her life.
“I can do 10 laps now,” she said.
Her mother, Maria Lucas, 50, said Brenda had always liked water but only started taking lessons last year at the sports complex in Likas here.
She said Brenda was inspired to swim when they met another disabled person while shopping for custom-made shoes.
“The person, who is an amputee swimmer, had a chat with Brenda and encouraged her to take up the sport,” said Maria.
Brenda made it a habit to train at least four days a week at the sports complex — and her efforts were paying off.
“It has gotten to the point where her coach is praising her on a regular basis,” said Maria.
The mother of five credited Brenda’s success to her daughter’s initiative and willingness to try everything.
“I never had to teach her anything. She started using her feet when she was about 2 years old — that was when I noticed her picking up a biscuit with her foot.
“From there on, she observed what her brothers were doing and would want to do them as well. There are some things that I had to teach her though, like cooking.
“As a parent, I have my own concerns about her safety, so I sometimes hesitate. But she will often rebuke me by saying: ‘If you don’t teach me how to cook now, how can I do it in the future?’” said Maria.
Of course, things were not always smooth-sailing for Brenda.
It took a lot of encouragement from her family to get over her low self-esteem.
However, Maria, who works as a clerk at KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital, was adamant in letting her daughter experience life as a normal child, and she brought her to as many outings as possible.
It worked as Brenda would later develop the self-confidence she now exuded.
“Parents with disabled children sometimes ask me if a child with such disabilities can adjust to life. They say: ‘Aren’t they suffering if you force them to go to school and so on?’
“I have one advice for them: expose your child to the outside world. Don’t let them stay at home just because they are different from others.
“God may have taken something from her, but I always tell my daughter it’s because God must have given something special in return. None of us really lack anything,” said Maria, smiling proudly at her daughter beside her.