I’M A SURVIVOR!

Meet two women, three decades apart, who will inspire you to look at life in a whole new way.
TEXT SHANTI GANESAN

YVONNE FOONG, 22
When you meet Yvonne Foong, all your troubles seem trivial. This 22-year-old intrepid, articulate young lady was also robbed of her sense of balance, her ability to hear and to a certain extent, see, a while ago. Capable of only a faint smile, after a brain surgery left her face half paralysed, she tells us how broad her smile once was. That however remains only in her family and friends’ memories.

Struck by a disease when she was 13 years old, she was later diagnosed with Neurofribomatosis (NF)–Type II, an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that causes tumours to form on the nerves of the central nervous system, in the brain, and on the spine. The news left Yvonne initially devastated and helpless but in time, she broke into new attitude toward life and how!

The complete article appears in the October issue of Marie Claire. Or subscribe today and get Marie Claire delivered directly to your door every month.