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Surmounting losses and sadness by embracing life

Charlton Shiu: “Seeing is believing, and sometimes believing is seeing.”

Childhood should be carefree and enjoyable. However, this was not the case for Charlton, who comes from a single-parent family. Her mother was diagnosed with leukaemia and Charlton has assumed the role of caregiver since lower secondary school years. “I went to hospital to take care of my mother until nine o’clock in the evening,” she recalls. “Then I would go home, do homework, sleep for three hours and start another day at five o’clock. Sometimes, it would be my turn to be admitted to hospital.”

Such pressure was difficult for anyone, let alone a young teenager, to bear. Unfortunately, Charlton also suffered from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and bipolar disorder. When the illness came on, the pain was unbearable and she had to get to the emergency room for injections. However, she did not succumb to despair. She studied even harder and was admitted to a university’s business school. Sadly, her mother never got to know of this success as she passed away during this time. Broken with grief and stress, Charlton withdrew from school to restore her health and wellness. This decision changed her dreams and destiny ever since.

Overwhelmed by emotions, Charlton found an outlet through reading and writing. She shared her life stories through writing, completing a 60,000-word book within a month. She also joined several charitable organisations, hoping to inspire others with her experiences and tell them “You are not alone”. Away from school for a year, she found a new direction in life. Within the space of three years, she was admitted to a Sociology Programme at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, established two social enterprises and served as an official of three charitable organisations. The Jockey Club Scholarships empowered her to realise her dreams.

“The Scholarship gave me the opportunity to meet other aspiring, enthusiastic young leaders who hope to better our society," Charlton explains. The social enterprise she founded, “Lives Are”, is committed to promoting life and death education, helping grass-roots families with funeral arrangements and providing support to caregivers to move on. “It is important to bid farewell, but more important to live in the moment,” she emphasises. “If there had been similar organisations when I was young, maybe I would have led an easier life and have more harmonious family relationships.”

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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