Celebrating one’s 18th birthday is not typically a poignant occasion, but for outgoing Hongkonger Chen Tsz-kin, adulthood began last week with a mixture of excitement and anxiety.
At 18 months old, Chen was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic condition that causes muscles to weaken over time. Doctors told his mother, Michelle Li Yuan-feng, that people with the incurable illness had an average life expectancy of 18.
“I felt like a brand new self waking up this morning. It’s been difficult for me to finally reach what doctors defined as ‘a deadline’. I could perhaps put a full stop here, saying this phase is over and what lies ahead is a new beginning,” Chen said at his home in Lok Fu on October 20.