His birth parents knew something was "wrong" with him, he said, but did not know how to handle him, and doctors at the time could not diagnose him.
As he grew up, he started having problems with mobility, coordination and speech, and people around him thought he had polio, a highly infectious viral disease that can cause paralysis.
It was only years later at the age of 22 that he was correctly diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a disability that has similar physical impairments.
Despite all this, Mr Pek, 60, did not let his disability stop him from becoming assistant vice-president at Deutsche Bank and vice-president of HWA (formerly known as Handicaps Welfare Association).
He was one of the awardees in the "achievement" category of the Goh Chok Tong Enable Awards, which recognises people with disabilities who have made significant achievements in their own fields.
The other category of "promise" encourages people with disabilities who have shown promise to pursue greater heights.
The sixth edition of the awards was held on Dec 3 on the International Day of People with Disabilities.
The effort by the Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund, a community fund administered by SG Enable and supported by Mediacorp, honoured the achievements of 13 people with disabilities at Marina Bay Sands Singapore.
Denne historien er fra December 04, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra December 04, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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CALLIGRAPHY IS BIG WITH ARTIST
The boulders hiding in the alcove of Tong Yang-tze's (right) Taipei apartment testify to this Taiwanese calligrapher's daunting perfectionism. They are paper - remnants of discarded artworks, crumpled together like used tissues and soaked into inky wads of pulp. Hundreds of old drafts of writing, including many of her efforts to draw Chinese poetry at a monumental scale, have been recycled into these rocks over the years, most recently as she worked on her commission for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which debuted on Nov 21.
Mattel sued over Wicked dolls with porn website link
LOS ANGELES - Mattel was sued on Dec 3 by a South Carolina mother for mistakenly putting a link to a pornographic website on packaging for dolls tied to the blockbuster movie Wicked.
Taiwanese musician-director Liu Chia-chang a composer of hit songs
Famed veteran Taiwanese musician and director Liu Chia-chang has died at the age of 81.
Actress Kristal Tin reveals lung cancer diagnosis
Former TVB actress Kristal Tin revealed on Instagram on Dec 3 that she has undergone successful surgery for lung cancer.
South Korean entertainment schedules up in the air
SEOUL - Schedules of performances and interviews in South Korea have been thrown into a state of uncertainty by a sudden martial law declaration that was lifted only a few hours later.
Host Dasmond Koh surprised by martial law edict while in Seoul for work
Upheaval in Seoul, South Korea
Squid Game returns to end 2024 with a bang
In this monthly column, The Straits Times' streaming picks for December include the long-awaited second season of the survivalist hit Squid Game (2021 to present) and its non-lethal equivalent.
Flow speaks Volumes, The Room Next Door a thin melodrama
In the wake of a devastating flood, a cat finds refuge with motley stranded animals on a tattered sailboat.
Funeral rites come alive in The Last Dance
The Hong Kong drama offers fascinating glimpses into the city's funeral traditions
Tolkien and anime work well together, says Japanese director
NEW YORK - It has been a decade since the work of fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien last appeared on the big screen.
