After mum's death, he 'must be the one to care for dad'

Living with Down syndrome

- Goh Yan Han

"Mummy, I love you," said 34year-old Guan Chau Kuok as he looked skyward when asked about memories of his mother, who died in 2012 of breast cancer.

"Before she passed, I said, 'Mother, please don't go. If you go, I will be sad," he said. "When she died, my father and I cried and cried. But at the end, I know mother loves us from heaven."

The words may sound simple, but the emotions are rich and the memory is vivid.

Mr Guan has Down syndrome, a chromosomal disorder that affects a person's physical features, intellect and physical development and occurs in about one in 700 births here. He has also been diagnosed with mild intellectual disability.

It took some time for him to understand his mother's death, said his father, Mr Henry Guan, 68, who works in the IT industry.

The elder Mr Guan added: "Initially, he would keep mentioning, 'Is mother coming back?' I told him she has gone very far away and is not coming back, but daddy is with you and will take care of you."

As Mr Guan Chau Kuok was growing up, his parents decided to expose him as much as possible to the "outside world", and took him to engage in activities such as swimming at the nearby Chinese Swimming Club, cycling at the park and travelling.