Even If I Don't Win, I Can't Lose

I wrote this a while ago for a local newspaper...it was not part of my assignment but when I was interviewing the director of the National Blood Centre, she happened to mention this guy, and I thought, wow! So I got his number, called him, and we communicated with each other in broken English and Malay. I found him so honest and candid and inspiring.

People like these should be celebrated. It's nice to know they exist.

And that's all Pollyanna has to say for today.

Lai Hung Chow is running the 11 kilometre Sepang night race next Saturday (April 16). A few months from now he plans to participate in a 21 kilometre marathon. He also plans to run up the KL Tower in June. And a few months ago, he took part in New Icon’s Manhunt, which brings together 30 hunks from around the country.

Anyone looking at him would simply pass him off as a fitness freak. And he is. With one major difference. This is a fitness freak who has haemophilia. He was diagnosed with Haemophilia A when he was nine and his factor levels were about 1.4%, which put him in the moderate range (approaching severe). During his last trip to the National Blood Centre, they found his factor levels had risen to 11.8% which classifies him as “mild”.

It is truly an inspiring story of how the sickly young boy transformed himself into a lean, mean, marathon machine. “When I was small I used to have bruises all over which never healed. The doctor said this kid isn’t like other kids and wrote a letter for my mother to take me to GH to get myself checked out. They discovered I was suffering from haemophilia which was a bolt out of the blue.

“My parents were normal. There was no history of haemophilia in the family. There must have been a genetic mutation with me,” he said.

He was a frail, sickly child. Once when he was eight, he landed up in hospital for two weeks after a tooth extraction during which time his gums continued to bleed. His bruises lasted from one to two months.

Lai grew used to living with his illness and continued life as usual. He worked for his brother in his brother’s small logistics firm, running the show, and being the general dogsbody to fill in where others came short. And in 2005, he married his sweetheart Mandy Chooi, the woman who was to inspire him and support him through it all.

Then in 2006, he contracted dengue and landed in hospital. And it was here that the doctors dropped another bomb on him. Lai found out that not only did he have haemophilia; he also had hepatitis C. Back in the old days, before the introduction of factor concentrates and blood screening, patients would be infused with whole blood. One batch of it must have infected him.

“I could not sleep for two weeks thinking about it. I just lay in bed and cried. I thought about my poor wife. How could I do this to her, allow her to continue in a life without a future? For of that I was certain. I found there was a 50 per cent chance of transmitting the hepatitis to my child and was determined not to have any.

What could I do now? She had married me. Divorce was out of the question,” he said.

His mind moved in circles, moving in and out of despair but out of that brain storm was born a resolve. “I realized that if I didn’t take care of myself, nobody would. I would have to get healthy. There was no other way.”

So Lai joined a gym. “When I started out, I was just thinking of getting fit. But to my surprise I found I loved it. I was feeling better and better. Where before, I used to fall ill all the time and stay ill for a very long time, now I found I was rarely ill. Where before I needed to shower in hot water, now I could use cold water.”

How did he learn how to use the equipment? “No I didn’t get a personal trainer. I observed what the others did and asked them about it.” Today, he works out like a professional and can tell you each muscle group he’s working on, as he’s doing it. “First the cardio, then the weights. And you must know how intense and how many repetitions. Be sensible and don’t injure yourself.”

He never drank or smoked and now he started to control his diet. He went for healthier, natural foods, and removed fat from his diet. For instance, when eating chicken he would remove the skins. “I toyed with the idea of taking protein powders and even asked a doctor about it who said I could, but decided not to. After all, I was not like others and who knows what side effects it could have on me.”

As his confidence level increased he started setting himself greater and greater challenges.

“I used to be afraid of people seeing me as different and keeping their distance. Now I participate in events that many so-called normal people are not fit enough for, and feel wonderful. Like when I participated in the Manhunt. I didn’t even make it to the top 12 but it was a great experience anyway. Who would have thought that a haemophiliac could compete in a Manhunt?” he chuckled gleefully.

Now when he goes to the National Blood Centre and sees others like him but in much worse condition, with some who can hardly walk, he feels sick at heart.

“I want to tell them they do not have to live this way. I want to show them that they could be healthy and lead normal or even better than normal lives. It takes commitment to decide on a healthy life and sign up for a gym. I work out five times a week. It’s not something you can start today and stop tomorrow. But if you’re willing to do the work, the rewards are tremendous.

“I know that even if I don’t win, I can’t lose,” he concluded.