Beauty is More than Skin Deep
You may have heard the phrase that “beauty is more than skin deep”, but with the media constantly pushing to have the perfect teeth, the perfect nose, the perfect hair, and the perfect everything, it can be difficult to understand the true beauty of living a good life with the hand you’ve been dealt.
However, Miss NG Poh Peng can help us look past physical appearances with her remarkable strength and courage to simply live each day to the fullest.
Doctors said she’d be dead within two months
Yet despite the doctor’s pessimism, the Poh Peng baby continued to live, struggling to survive the first month, and then six, and now 20 years. Born with a rare hereditary skin disorder, Ng Poh Peng battles every day with congential ichthyosis which causes her skin to flake off like fish scales. Her condition leaves her newly exposed skin defenseless to the elements and prone to infection, and she has to be hospitalized every few months for fever and vomiting.
And unfortunately, her condition also leaves her vulnerable to rude comments as well.
Her Father, Mr. Ng Recalls: “When she was in primary school, some of her schoolmates called her ‘red ghost’,” said Mr Ng. “Some adults we met outside called her ‘a doll’.
“These grown-ups should really use their brains when talking. Why hurt our feelings like that?”
However, NG Poh Peng has learned to cope with both her physical trials and the lack of understanding in others. Instead, she tells reporters, “I just ignore the teasing now.”
With the unconditional love of her parents and the strength and support of her friends and admirers, NG Poh Peng finds the resilience to take each day on her own terms – looking for work and independence while trying to help her parents pay for the medical bills.
Although nearly $300,000 was raised to help ease the financial burdern, the Ng family gave half of the money to charity.
“There were other people who needed to money more urgently,” Mr. Ng stated. “We helped others, so heaven kept our daughter alive all these years.”
She persevered. . .
Despite her constant arthritis and the pain from her condition, Ng Poh Peng turned her struggles into a triumph, finishing school and obtained a Higher National ITE Certificate in Accounting. She hopes to be a data entry officer.
Rather than giving up and giving in, NG Poh Peng shows us that true beauty lies in the strength of one’s soul. Her courage to live each day despite pain and ridicule while generously donating to those in need demonstrates can truly inspire us to be grateful for the time we have.