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Overcoming challenges in a “second” life

Rex Cheuk: “Everything is arranged in the best possible way.”

Rex never expected his last high school summer holiday to end so tragically. In a surfing accident in Thailand in 2019, Rex damaged his spinal nerves which caused permanent paralysis from the waist down. His world was shattered. Thankfully, following a year of treatment, he gained a “second” opportunity to pursue his dream of becoming a journalist, being admitted to the Hong Kong Baptist University School of Communication. However, there were many challenges to overcome. On one occasion, while working on a film project, Rex was stopped by a flight of stairs which stood between his wheelchair and the shooting location. He could only watch as his team finished everything without him. At that moment, he learned the bitter truth of life. It was not only the stairs he had to overcome, but also the self-doubt brought on by his disability.

What used to be an easy routine had now become a huge mission. Rex said that following the accident, he could only watch longingly on the sidelines of the football pitch, wishing he could join in the game if he had not been injured. But he did not wallow in self-pity or what could not be changed. Instead, he fixed his eyes on what he could accomplish. Transforming adversity into positive power, he joined the Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment and helped an enterprise build an inclusive workspace. He is also now an ambassador for the Hong Kong Federation of Handicapped Youth, organising workshops in schools to promote inclusiveness.

Rex became a JC Scholar last year. “It was a great affirmation for me. I made it, I didn’t give up seeking learning opportunities and new hobbies,” he enthuses. He is now working as an intern reporter for an international financial information company, and has decided to go to the Netherlands as an exchange student in his last university year. He actively speaks out for the interests of the disabled community and lives his life to the fullest.

Obstacles in life will never disappear, but it is how one lives life that matters. Rex has chosen to seek out challenges, inspired by a line from the movie Still Human – “You can’t choose not to sit in a wheelchair, but you can choose how to sit.”

Did you know?

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships programme hopes students it supports will not only fulfil their academic potential, but also serve the community.

Over the past 25 years, scholarship recipients have come from a wide range of backgrounds, from local Chinese students to ethnic minority students, and from those who pursue music, atmospheric science, aerospace engineering and zoology, to budding teachers and educators. The programme has supported a number of students with special learning needs.

All scholarship recipients are members of The Jockey Club Scholars Alumni Association, forming a close-knit group to perform community service.

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