6 famous people who didn’t let their disabilities stop them
Return Of The Cuckoo (十月初五的月光) is based on the popular TVB drama series of the same name, where the mute protagonist Man Cho struggles with his disability as he makes his way through the world. But he’s not the only one – many famous folk who had similar handicaps didn’t let it stop them from accomplishing great things!
Many a time, these great men and women accomplished feats that would be considered impossible given their conditions. Here’s six of the greatest people in the world who also happened to be have impairments.
1. Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven. Credit: Bio
Ah, Beethoven. His infamous wild hair has come to be a symbol of mad musical maestros all over the world, apart from his staggering number of compositions (the musical variety, not the PSLE type). Although he lived to 56, he started becoming deaf from the age of 30. That means he had hearing problems for almost half of his life, which is incredible considering he was a musician and composer! Yet his most famous works come from the last 15 years of his life – when his hearing was at its worst. Imagine how much more he could have produced if he had perfect hearing!
2. Helen Keller
Helen Keller. Credit: enotes
Helen Keller was a famous author, lecturer, and political activist. The thing is, she wasn’t deaf or blind – she was deaf and blind. Deprived of two out of the five senses, she still managed to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, and was the first deafblind person to do so. Most of us already have horrendous handwriting, and we have the benefit of being able to see what we’re penning. Helen Keller couldn’t see what she was writing, but she did it legibly enough to earn a university degree. She gave lectures despite not being able to see her audience or notes (try giving a lecture blindfolded one day).
Anne Sullivan. Credit: Edmodo Blog
But Helen Keller would never have been able to do it without her teacher Anne Sullivan, who at that time was her governess and companion. Anne taught Helen the concept of language, despite Helen’s lack of sight and hearing. Here’s a toast to all teachers everywhere!
3. Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison. Credit: How Stuff Works
His name is synonymous with the lightbulb (which raises the question, why isn’t it called an Edisonbulb instead of a lightbulb?) and also contributed to the creation of the film camera, giving us the voyeuristic means to film people on the MRT all day long. He also had hearing problems, which came about because he was so fixated on his work that a train conductor grabbed him by his ears and threw him and his apparatus off a train when his train lab caught fire. Maybe that’s the inspiration for developing the film camera – he probably wished he could have recorded the nasty train conductor’s actions for posterity. Well, Edison, it’s finally a reality.
4. Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki. Credit: Weekender
One of the most famous Japanese singers in the world, Ayumi Hamasaki contracted a condition that caused her to lose all her hearing in her left ear in 2008. Despite that, she still soldiered on, promising her fans that she would not give up and that she would still continue giving her best performance to everyone. She’s kept that promise, having delivered seven albums to-date after 2008, and even having performed at Marina Bay Sands in 2014!
5. Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton. Credit: JP Updates
Did you know that that this former American President was also an avid musician in his teenage years? He cited this as one of the factors leading to his hearing loss, for which he procured hearing aids for in 1997. Despite some missteps in his term, he was still an effective leader of the free world and presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in the USA’s history. He’s now deployed on many diplomatic missions, and still remains a key figure in American politics.
6. Halle Berry
Halle Berry as Storm in X-Men. Credit: Cinema Blend
As an actress, it’s important to be able to hear and respond to your other cast members’ lines. Halle Berry, despite losing 80% of her hearing in her left ear, was still able to do so and give a convincing performance despite this handicap. Since then, she’s gone to become a Bond girl, a weather-manipulating mutant as Storm of the X-Men and Catwoman in that laughably terrible movie, Catwoman. She’s a great example of overcoming her disability to find even greater success afterward (well, except for Catwoman that is).
Return Of The Cuckoo poster. Credit: Golden Village Cinemas
Man Cho does the same thing in the TVB drama Return Of The Cuckoo, so it’ll be interesting to see how his character will be adapted for the movie version of Return Of The Cuckoo! Starring Chi Lam Cheung as Man Cho and Charmaine Sheh as Kwan Ho, this adaptation of the beloved drama promises an unforgettable and tragic love story as Man Cho is diagnosed with cancer and has less than half a year left to live. If you were a fan of the drama series, this is a film you’d surely want to catch.
Credits: Bio, enotes, Edmodo Blog, How Stuff Works, Weekender, JP Updates, Cinema Blend, Golden Village
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