Back in 2009, I was diagnosed with brain stem tumour. I went through 4 brain surgeries and 2 tracheostomy surgeries. I stayed in the hospital for 7 months with an aggregate of 33 days in the ICU. During this period, my condition was described as a roller coaster – I had many episodes of fevers and infections, and I experienced Code Blue once. I was on NGT feeds for 6 months, and during hospitalisation, for a 2-week period I was not able to talk (my windpipe was not able to function properly). For a month, my facial muscles were weak.

That was the reality. I was severely disabled, and I had to depend on my mum, who’s my caregiver, to take care of me. At my 20s (just at the start of my prime working years), I thought I lost the ability to work for good. My mum also almost lost her job, as she had to take many days of leave to take care of me.

My ordeal taught me to rethink about job security, active income and financial security. I was motivated to build a self-insurance plan and several income streams for myself. I learnt that I needed to be self-sufficient even without an active income. After 12 years of being an Architect, I decided to join the financial advisory industry, because I believe in life, everyone should be prepared with the financial resources to survive, even in times of adversity.

And for that, you need to start with the right foundation.