Shahbir Learns To Fence

My son, 17 year old Omar Shahbir began fencing lessons in December. He wanted to lose weight and his fencing master, Gilbert Bekking, said he would not only lose weight but also learn to concentrate, focus and master fine motor skills …. the other added benefits turned out to be to also learn to control his temper and gain self confidence!

For months, I have been dropping off Shahbir before 7 am at school, with him dragging along his school bag (which was already very heavy) and a bag full of a change of clothes, his toiletries and his fencing gear.

He’d finish school at 1 pm then rush off to his Centre where he’d have tuition (he works on his school work at MA Joseph Special Needs Centre as he has Attention Deficit Disorder) until 4 pm after which he starts his fencing lessons at Ampang Fencing Centre which is in the same building. He trains 4 times a week.

I watch him enter his school each day and marvel at what an amazing young man he is. Here is a guy who had to struggle to focus and learn things in a way people who do not have ADD cannot imagine. He now at 17, is independent and achieving things others, even without his learning challenges only talk about and dream about.

He walks to the centre daily

from school (OK it’s only a 15 minute walk … but he crosses a main road and lugs his bags with him rain or shine) and he takes a taxi home whenever I cannot pick him up. He buys his lunch and gets to class on time. He is independent. (Thank you God)

Last weekend, in fencing competition he won his second silver medal in the Foil category.

Amongst the competition were school kids from a Government run Sports School in Johor. I was so proud watching him fence against kids who train even up to twice a day as part of their school curriculum and he could hold his own…. and even win!

As a mother, I was full of pride for my son, as I watched him fence. He is Special in every sense of the word, my dearest Shahbir is indeed!

He is a demonstration of ‘going beyond limitations’ and that anything is possible.

He is my source of Joy and Inspiration.