Diveheart
by Lim How Pim, Borneo Post (Malaysia)
KUCHING: Freddick Jilam, 26, lost mobility partially due to spinal injury resulting from a road accident about two years ago. He was bedridden for five months following the accident in 2016.
He misses the ability to be totally on his feet again. Though he has been wheelchair-bound after the five months, Freddick takes some small steps occasionally. His hope of being able to move again was relived yesterday with the help of Diveheart Malaysia programme coordinator for East Malaysia, Ernest Teo.
“I feel okay. I want to dive again,” said Freddick after a nearly half-hour dive in the swimming pool at Stampark, Taman BDC here.
Freddick is seen with his parents Jilam and Dohim.
He added he felt light during the dive and that he could feel that he can move freely again. He was accompanied by his parents Jilam Doyuh, 59, and Dohim Ase, 49, during the brief interview with reporters.
Speaking to the press following the dive, Teo said Freddick told him that he felt different in the water, adding: “He said he suddenly felt light.”
He said Diveheart Malaysia has prevailed for four years and counting while Diveheart East Malaysia is still a baby. He said the session yesterday was a tryout and if Freddick is up to it, the organisation can train him as a scuba diver.
“This has been done in Peninsular Malaysia with three individuals; one with a condition worse than Freddick’s. When a person can do more things, the mind feels much stronger. We plan to make it into a long-term programme,” he said.
Teo added that the programme can be expanded to cover other parts of East Malaysia as well as Brunei and Kalimantan to help the community with disabilities. In order to sustain the programme, he said Diveheart needs volunteers, who are also certified divers, and funding.
According to him, Diveheart does not receive direct donations but through proper channelling such as funding five sessions for a candidate with disabilities.
[More … see full article on Borneo Post Online website]