Singapore's Unsung Heroes - A national day tribute

While it's great to honour our military heroes who are prepared to give up their life to ensure that we can live our "ordinary" lives in peace and our politicians and businessmen who have brought us international fame and glory. But let's not forget the heroism of those who endure the tough grind of living ordinary lives here in Singapore...

This week, while everyone around us celebrates the extraordinary sacrifices made by those who protected Singapore during the Japanese occupation, helped us gain Independence and nurtured us, so that we would become more than just the “Little Red Dot”, we at theAsianparent celebrate our other heroes.

Those who courageously toil, year after thankless year, doing their best to be good partners, loving parents, conscientious neighbours and responsible citizens.

We celebrate Noriah Abdul Baki and Steven Seow, loving parents, of late Aleisha Seow. We celebrate their courage in coping with not just the physical demands of caring for their special needs daughter, but the emotional challenge of watching so-called normal kids — and their parents — get on with lives that seem like a breeze by comparison.

We celebrate Noella Flores, who has to play both mum and dad to her three children. After her divorce, Noella’s life was shattered and she sank into depression. However, for the sake of her children, she snapped herself out of it and worked two jobs to keep her family afloat.

We celebrate Sally Chew and her husband Gabriel, who recently became parents after trying for six unfruitful years. We celebrate their perseverance and their support for each other. They learnt to swallow their disappointments in each other, and discover the rich meaning of “for better, for worse”.

So our dear readers, this National Day, while you honour our military heroes who maintain our peace and harmony, and our politicians and businessmen who have brought us international fame and glory, don’t forget to honour the heroism of those who endure the tough grind of living ordinary lives.

After all, it is these ‘ordinary’ people who maintain the heart beat of our society.

Happy National Day, Singapore!

– Roshni Mahtani

Editor-in-Chief

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Written by

Roshni Mahtani

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