What Does Success Look Like To You?

For these three women, it means overcoming the odds even though life dealt them a bad hand. Here’s how they played their cards.

- Adora Wong

MEL KAUR, 30

Mel may be in a wheelchair, but she doesn’t let it get in the way of her passion for traveling .el knows a thing or two about being different—she’s had spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) since she was four.

“I used to be able to walk—just different from those around me,” she says. “But I had a fall when I was 12 and my condition worsened during the recovery period. This resulted in me having to use a wheelchair to get around.”

“My parents would take me to many doctors and experts to find a cure for me. But when I was 18, I realized that instead of trying to find a cure, I needed to accept my disability.”

After school, she worked as a customer service operator and telemarketer before realizing it was healthier for her to get a job that can accommodate her needs.

“Both office jobs made me realize it was indeed tough for me to work a nine-hour shift without troubling one of my family members to assist me with going to the loo,” she explains. “Plus, my motorized wheelchair had spoilt at the time. I needed a new one but could not afford it.”

She eventually managed to secure a job with Daughters of Tomorrow, a charity that supports underprivileged women. Her current responsibilities include digital marketing and video editing and she gets to work from home on most days. But the best part about the job is it has kept her inspired.

“I get to meet people from all walks of life,” she says. “I meet our beneficiaries and realize I have taken so much for granted. I meet our corporate partners and realize I have yet to achieve a lot of things. I meet my colleagues and realize I’m in the right place.”