"I still have my right hand"

When I first read the headlines, I said to myself, "Sure, they call it robbery but it's probably a street fight and the victim is most likely a secret society member who was attacked by a rival gang."

But something else caught my eye.  This boy is no ordinary boy.  He was the Captain of the canoe team of Raffles Institution, the nation's top school.  This was a definite case of robbery and all doubt in my mind vaporised instantly.  He was set upon by a large group of knife-wielding men and he was hacked and left bleeding to die.  But he was saved by a passer-by some 6 hours or so later.

Re-attachment surgery was done on his palm that was severed in the attack. But four of his fingers on his left hand became gangrenous and had to be amputated.  This picture is taken from the Straits Times (12 July 2010):

What the boy says in the Straits Times on 12 July 2010 surprised me somewhat.  I had expected him to be bitter about what had happened.  There did not appear to be the slightest trace of defeatism or negativity in his speech.

The time will come in my life when some misfortune strikes.  That's inevitable in this vale of tears.  I may be knocked down by a car and be crippled for life or I may be taken ill with a terminal cancer.

When that happens, I will remember what this boy says and I hope to be able to repeat his words, "After all, I still have my right hand."

Here's the story from the Straits Times (click on it for a larger picture):