KLANG – Barnabas Leong Wei En, a young entrepreneur diagnosed with Down syndrome, is not letting his disability hold him back from achieving greater heights after establishing a new online business platform, Barnabas Blessing Store, last year.
In an exclusive interview with WeirdKaya, Barnabas’ mother, Ms Chia, shared the incredible story of how he overcame the odds and the challenges that came with working on the online platform.
Born and raised in Sekinchan, Barnabas was initially assigned to arrange the stocks and put price tags. As his skills began to improve, so did the number of tasks delegated to him.
Today, his daily responsibilities include taking orders, sorting out packages, conducting live sessions on various e-commerce platforms and many other operational duties along with his mother.
Recounting the first time Barnabas live-streamed on Facebook, Ms Chia clearly remembered how it was an extremely stressful affair for him.
“I’ve never seen him this worried before as he is the kind of person who would always have a big smile on his face.”
“The same happened to me as I’m not tech-savvy. Thus, helping to set up for the live session was a tall order for me,” she said.
In retrospect, Ms Chia and Barnabas are glad that they never gave up.
Rocky beginnings
Barnabas’ educational journey wasn’t exactly a bed of roses due to his disability. Ms Chia recalled the days when he had to be homeschooled after studying at a kindergarten for a few years. “We mainly focused on vocabulary acquisition while training Barnabas as he found it hard to recite numbers.”
After being homeschooled for some time, Barnabas was enrolled in SMK Teluk Gadong, a school that provides integration program for students with special needs for two years. Although he was born with a slightly larger tongue, he can speak three languages (Malay, English, and Mandarin) fluently, even though his speech isn’t as polished as an average person’s.
“Parents play the biggest part in the development of a child with Down syndrome.”
During the interview, Ms Chia also expressed her gratitude towards a teacher who unconditionally offers assistance to Barnabas in many aspects, like giving guidance on the technical part, providing advise on Barnabas’ educational pathway, just to name a few.
Barnabas was also born with an imperforate anus, meaning that it was not fully developed enough to let stool pass through it. Suffering from this defect, he endured lots of health problems that placed his life at risk multiple times from a tender age.
Upon seeing this, Ms Chia made up her mind to apply natural remedies at home instead of paying endless visits to the doctor’s office.
“Every week, I would buy organic food and gluten-free products to prepare Barnabas’ meals. Thanks to his determination over the years, he has never once revisited the doctors,” said Ms Chia.
Dreaming big
“I want to be a big star like Li Chen,” said Barnabas with his trademarksmile when asked what was his greatest dream.
Upon running Barnabas Blessing Store, he is now one step closer to achieving his dream – to become a star with the inspirational message that everyone can pursue their wildest dreams no matter who they are.
During last year’s Shopee 11.11 sales, Barnabas had to dress up as Phua Chu Kang for a live session.
“At first, he was quite reluctant as he’s a fan of Li Chen. However, he eventually gave in and became Phua Chu Kang, minus the mole,” laughed Ms Chia.
“I hope that by using these online platforms, Barnabas can achieve his dream one day,” she added.
Barnabas is currently involved in an entrepreneurial programme made especially for the disabled called SAY LEAD (Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Acceleration and Development) Entrepreneurial League, an initiative by the Selangor Youth Community (SAY).
“This programme trained Barnabas in many aspects, from marketing, branding, to business strategies. It is very informative, and I’m grateful to my church member who introduced it to us. And the best news is that he has made it to the top ten!” beamed Ms Chia.
As for those who questioned her motives in starting up an online business, she says that she doesn’t think about it. “Some believed that I was doing all this with the sole aim of making money. I don’t care about what others think of me as what Barnabas and I want to do is to strive to be better.”
Discipline is key
Aside from sharing Barnabas’ entrepreneurial journey, Ms Chia also gave some rare insights on raising children diagnosed with Down syndrome.
According to her, those with Down syndrome tend to prefer a life dictated by routine.
“The one thing I emphasised the most was living a disciplined lifestyle.”
“I trained Barnabas to be a morning person, not a night owl. The first thing he does when he wakes up is to drink a cup of water. After a long day at work, he has to mop the floor.”
“Parents have the responsibility to care for the spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being of their children,” she said.
“Since Barnabas is different from his siblings in terms of academic capabilities, I primarily focus on training his spiritual growth and mental health.” As a devout Christian, Ms Chia spends much time teaching him about Jesus from a very young age.
Son of encouragement
For parents who have children born with a congenital disability, it is natural for them to be overwhelmed by sadness, guilt, and fear. And Ms Chia is of no exception too.
“Frankly speaking, my first reaction upon hearing the news was that of great sadness. After I prayed and asked God for His direction, I knew that I had to accept Barnabas wholeheartedly for the way God made him,” she said while fighting to keep back the tears.
She also recalled the incident when she nearly lost her son and realised that she couldn’t live without him. “When he was one-years-old, Barnabas nearly choked to death as an object was stuck in his trachea. At that moment, immense fear gripped my heart, and that was also the moment I knew I had fully accepted him as my beloved son.”
“I know Barnabas is a blessing from God. Children are indeed a heritage God gives to us.”
Ms Chia also revealed the meaning of Barnabas’ name, which is “son of encouragement” and derived from a character in the Bible. That name, she says, has been largely true for her as his mother.
“Barnabas has the most contagious smile I’ve ever seen. Watching him giggle brings instant delight to my heart.”
Do drop Barnabas Leong’s Facebook page a like!
Don’t forget to support Barnabas’ online shop on Lazada and Shopee too!
Sources:Barnabas Leong and Ms Chia
Interviewer: Rydah Tan and S.Y Lee
Editor: Raymond Chen
Proofreader: Sarah Yeoh
