Child protection is an essential and long-lasting difficult task. It requires empathy, patience and skills to communicate with children with special educational needs (SEN) for them to unleash their unlimited potential and grow up strongly in love. “Wonder boy” So Wa-wai (Wa-wai) suffered from convulsions, cerebral palsy and severe hearing loss since he was a child. It depends entirely on the encouragement and patience of his mother and his coach for Wa-wai to insist on realising his dream and become the pride of Hong Kong people.

Wa-wai has won 26 gold medals since 1996 and has broken world records five times. The most impressive experience of his took place in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. He failed in the first two events, but he refused to give in. Instead, he kept calm and successfully won the championship in the event he was most good at — the 200-meter race. He even broke the world record of that event. His touching endeavours have been adapted in a movie that has won many awards in recent years.

He points out that there has been ebb and flow on the path of his growth. He had not learned how to walk by the age of ten although he was not pessimistic about it. His mother often encouraged him to face setbacks bravely and keep trying. She took Wa-wai as a precious gift from heaven, and he promised to love himself and repay his mother. Thankfully, Wa-wai was able to walk on his own after he was ten years old. He even joined the races in the Olympic Games four years later and won the first gold medal of his life.

Wa-wai said he was not a child who could be taken care of easily during his childhood and often discouraged his mother. At one time, he persisted in wearing what he liked, and it took his mother a long time to convince him to dress properly for showing respect to the occasion. Wa-wai is very grateful for his mother's patience and understands that not every parent is as strong and optimistic as his mother. He also understands that parents who take care of children with SEN are under considerable pressure. He therefore advises parents to deal with their emotions with a normal mind, and tells them that the rod and scolds are not the most effective and appropriate way for teaching children.

This time, Wa-wai was invited to attend the Closing cum Award Presentation Ceremony of Let's T.A.L.K. - Child Protection Campaign 2022. In addition to presenting prizes to the winners, he also sent a message to children with congenital diseases or defects not to think that they are incapable and then give in easily. Instead, they should be patient and let themselves improve gradually. As long as they have hope and positive values, they will overcome setbacks. Wa-wai is very grateful to his mother and his coach for staying beside him all along, supporting him and encouraging him to make continuous progress and meet challenges. Finally, he appeals to the public to extend a helping hand to protect children when they need it.

Please visit the following website to watch the footage of Wa-wai’s sharing：（https://youtu.be/hmP7EiA9d6A）.