With the 2024 Paralympics slated to kickstart on Aug 28, the entire world, including Malaysia, is waiting to watch their national contingent compete and possibly break records at the sporting event that takes place every four years.
Amidst the limelight and roaring crowds, there are unfortunately some who have fallen between the cracks despite having represented and won medals for the country, and one of them is none other than ex-Paralympian swimmer Koh Lee Peng.
We recently caught up with Koh and asked several questions about how her life as a former Paralympian is today. But before we delve into that, it’s important to take a look at the past glories she enjoyed in the past.
Considered to be a swimming prodigy
Born in Penang, Koh came into the national sporting scene when she represented Malaysia at the ASEAN Para Games from 2001 to 2005, where she quickly became one of the most successful para-athletes of her generation.
Throughout her ASEAN Para Games stint, she brought home a total of seven gold medals and 3 silver medals.
Unsurprisingly, her achievements brought in a slew of accolades too, with one naming her as Penang’s Best Paralympic Sportswoman in 2015 and the 2016 Female Paralympian of the Year in 2017.
Like the passing of time, Koh’s contributions slowly faded along with it and she eventually found herself having to eke out a living by selling tissues after she left her office job in Penang due to the workplace not being OKU-friendly.
While various governmental organisations have offered her financial aid after she retired from the swimming scene, Koh turned down all of them as she wanted to be independent and earn a living through her own efforts.
Barely getting by
After more than a decade since Koh last appeared at the international sporting stage, we were curious over how she was holding up while sustaining herself by selling tissues.
We later found her at her stomping grounds near Pavilion Mall in Bukit Bintang, where she was seated on her wheelchair and surrounded by multiple bags containing tissue papers and handicraft.
The only difference we noticed was that Koh didn’t don the Harimau Malaysia jersey, unlike her previous media appearances when her story went viral.
During our short chat with her, Koh told us she had been selling tissues for the past six years but the meagre income barely covers for her monthly expenses such as rent and phone bill.
People ask me why I choose to sell tissue papers in the rain. For me, it’s a matter of survival. If I don’t do so, how am I supposed to pay for my rent and phone usage?
As for how much she earns daily by selling the tissues, Koh didn’t give an exact figure and said that her income is largely dependent on the weather conditions.
“On some days, I could be sitting here in my wheelchair and there would be nothing coming in,” she noted with a shrug and a look of resignation on her face.
Furthermore, Koh revealed that she currently doesn’t have a second job that would help in covering her daily expenses, meaning that she has to live off on the little she gets by selling tissues.
Despite her tough circumstances, Koh said that she is very happy to continue selling tissue paper for as long as she’s able to as it allows her to earn an honest living with her own hands.
‘I can only move forward’
Considering the poor hand fate had seemingly dealt to her, most wouldn’t bat an eye if Koh turned back time and changed her future to become less bleak than it is now.
Surprisingly, she chose to go down an entirely different route — that is marching on ahead instead of looking over her shoulder.
I can’t go back to the past anymore. There’s no such thing as turning back time and returning to the former days. We must live our lives by moving forward because we’re growing older and weaker every passing day.
“Furthermore, I’m very happy with my current job as I’m able to come in contact with different kinds of people every day. It’s tiring, but at least I’m happy,” she said.
Koh also had a special message for those who had come to her aid by purchasing tissue paper from her when her predicament garnered massive public attention.
“To those who have helped me, I say thank you from the bottom from my heart and only God can reward you for your kindness.”
When asked whether she still had the same love for swimming as she did when she first delved into the sport at the tender age of 10, Koh said it was no longer what it was decades ago, adding that “it is very hard” to rediscover the same level of passion again.
‘Just do your best’
As the Paris Paralympics draws all the more closer, naturally we had to ask Koh whether she had any words of advice or encouragement to athletes representing the country.
“Money isn’t everything. What matters is what’s inside your heart as an athlete. It’s not easy representing Malaysia. If you want to represent the country, just do your best. Being an athlete is never easy, let alone being a human being,” she said.
As we bade Koh goodbye and watched her sell her wares to passing tourists and locals from a distance, we couldn’t help but ache a little inside for her and prayed that perhaps one day, no other national athlete will face the same situation ever again.
Watch our interview with Koh here:
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