OF THE 300 children on board the Legend Of The Seas cruise ship with their families, perhaps the most special was Andre Tang, who was the only one welcomed on board with a goody bag.
He was given the special welcome yesterday as his wish for a holiday with his family was fulfilled with the help of Make-A-Wish Foundation and Royal Caribbean Cruises International.
Born with congenital heart disease, Andre, 14, is unusually small for his age, his lips and limbs tinged with blue. But his health problems have not stopped him from enjoying himself to the fullest.
Most children born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome do not live for more than a few days after birth, so Andre is a bit of a miracle, surviving into his teens.
A student at Anglo Chinese School (Barker), he spends most of his time at home playing computer games, drawing or looking after his many pets as he cannot exert himself physically.
It was Mr Kenneth Tan, a family friend, who referred Andre to the foundation. 'I did it because I knew him. He fits the criteria of the foundation,' said Mr Tan, 36, who owns an art gallery.
'I don't think anyone else who knew him and also about the foundation would have done any differently,' he said.
The choice of a cruise over a new PlayStation 3 was gently directed by his mother, Mrs April Tang, a personal assistant in her 40s. 'It was between a PS (PlayStation) 3 and this trip but he chose this in the end because he already has many games,' she said.
He said he is happy to be travelling to Phuket, Thailand, with his family to celebrate Chinese New Year.
His two sisters, Andrea, 12, and Andreanna, nine, and their grandmother Audrey Poh Chin will join Andre and his mother on the trip, which ends next Tuesday. His father could not join them because of work commitments.
Andre is especially excited because he might get to visit a snake farm.
The Singapore affiliate of the international Make-A-Wish Foundation was opened here in 2003. It grants the wishes of children aged three to 18 who face life-threatening diseases.
Despite his uncertain future, Andre has a simple philosophy of life.
'Enjoy life, live life to the fullest. Because we can go at any time. Do everything you want to do before you go.'
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