Most Inspiring Caregiver - Top 3 Awardees - Mr. Yeo Yan Teng

In March 2021, we asked you for stories about caregivers who were selfless in taking on the responsibilities of care of others so we could give these people a token of our gratitude and recognition of their big hearts.

Mr. Yeo (on the left of the photo below) is the caregiver of his daughter, Ms. Yeo Yin Yen. When she was in her 20s, Ms. Yeo worked with children with special needs in Jurong Gardens School. One day while reaching out to fetch a toy that went out of the classroom window on the second floor and landed on the car porch roof below, the roof collapsed underneath her. She fell, landed head first, and sustained a traumatic brain injury. Ms. Yeo survived but lives with cognitive and physical impairments.

During the first 10 years, in order to aid rehabilitation and slow down post-trauma degeneration, Ms. Yeo was able to help teach special needs children and played the keyboard during their singing sessions. However, her condition deteriorated gradually. After almost 30 years, she is now fully dependent on her parents for her daily needs.

Currently, Ms. Yeo faces mobility and communication challenges. She is now not able to express herself verbally as she forgets what she wants to say before she completes the sentence. Mr. Yeo is looking for a speech therapist to support Ms. Yeo and hopes that people will reach out.

To support other caregivers, Mr. Yeo often shares his caregiving journey in the Head Injury Support Group. We would like to thank Mr. Takalah Tan and Mr. Jonathan Liu (on the right of the photo) for sharing Mr. Yeo's story. It is our hope that many more people can know of him and be inspired by his strength and resilience.