PERFECT PARTNERSHIP
'She is my eyes and I am her limbs'
Mother Prakaikaew Pongpairoj, who is blind and lives with systemic lupus erythematosus, helps her 17-year-old daughter on an exercise bike.
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Love is the key for blind mum who has battled to raise her disabled daughter
A blind mother who has single-handedly raised a disabled daughter into a happy teenager says love and patience are key to their contentment."I have never found my blindness an obstacle too great to care for my daughter. She is my eyes and I am her limbs," said Prakaikaew Pongpairoj. In 1988, the expectant mother started to experience blurred vision and was diagnosed with deteriorating optic nerves. As her sight began to fail, more bad news arrived - her daughter was born with mental and physical handicaps. Then her husband died suddenly, leaving her to pull through on her own. "The magic words are love and patience," said Prakaikaew, now 46. Rather than dwell on her grief and disappointment, she focused on how best to raise her daughter, Wattanee. A former teacher, Prakaikaew tried at first to teach her daughter to read and write. However, Wattanee had only a short span of concentration and below-average intelligence. "She didn't respond much. So I switched to music," Prakaikaew said. She tried playing various musical instruments to get Wattanee interested in music, even though she didn't really know how to play them properly. "I was so glad when my daughter showed interest in the organ," she said. From that moment on, Prakaikaew devoted herself to teaching her daughter - who has motor disabilities and can use only her index fingers - to play the organ. Amazingly, Wattanee is now able to play as many as 530 songs on the organ. This home-made version of musical therapy has apparently also improved her memory. "I also teach my daughter about religion. I have taught her to pray. Through the religious beliefs and music, we live in good conscience and happiness," Prakaikaew said. Through her mother's love and devotion, Wattanee has grown into a cheerful 17-year-old with a happy life. Every day, with her mother's help, she does physical rehabilitation exercises and practices the organ. "Every day I hug her and tell her how much I love her," Prakaikaew said. Prakaikaew has been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus, a condition caused by auto-immune disease, and she cannot ignore the possibility of dying at any time. "I have been trying to prepare everything for my daughter. I have a house being built with rails all around so that she can move around on her own. I have also kept some savings for her. I will do my best to encourage my daughter to live on happily," she said. Prakaikaew wrote a book on her life that made the best-seller list and has allowed her to gather some savings. The Nation Lampang
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