Mother, doctor, ex-inmates: Meet some unsung heroes in CNA series Extraordinary People

At the 2012 London Paralympics, serving as Team Singapore’s chief medical officer, she witnessed something truly moving: After a Paralympic swimmer finished about two laps behind the others, the crowd gave a standing ovation, cheering louder than for the winner.

“That kind of brought tears to my eyes,” recalled Teoh.

The experience ignited her passion for para-sports, which she described as focused on maximising what people have rather than what they lack.

Motivated by this ethos, she started the PlayBuddy programme in 2016 to unlock the potential of children with physical disabilities. It brings together more than 10 children and their families every Saturday to enjoy activities like taekwondo, football and bowling.

Since its inception, more than 50 families have benefitted from the programme, which has grown into a supportive community. “Their entire world may sometimes revolve just around that child, (with parents) taking them to school, … medical appointments, therapy,” said Teoh.

“So when they come together like this, parents talk to other parents who may have gone on a similar journey. … They kind of encourage one another, share stories and don’t feel so alone.”

Similarly, when Ronita Paul, 72, and Geraldine Lee, 66, co-founded Arc Children’s Centre in 2011, they were creating not only a daycare centre but also a supportive network for children battling cancer and other critical illnesses, along with their families.

“We never saw Arc as just an organisation or charity,” said Lee. “Arc is like a village.”

Before Arc existed, many of these children could only spend long hours in the hospital playroom, said Frances Yeap, a consultant in paediatric haematology and oncology at the Khoo Teck Puat – National University Children’s Medical Institute, National University Hospital.

“Because that was a safe area for them to be playing, where their parents were more reassured that there were no germs … (and) that other children playing around them also had a similar medical problem.”

To date, more than 300 children have walked through Arc’s doors. Beyond daycare, Arc hosts camps and events such as a year-end talent competition for children to showcase the skills they have honed at the centre.

“Arc is really like a sanctuary for these children to have some sort of normalcy in life,” Yeap added.

The five-part series Extraordinary People premieres tonight at 9pm, with new episodes in the same time slot until Wednesday. It pays homage to a successful, iconic documentary series of the same name, produced in the 1990s by predecessors of CNA’s current affairs department.