A superhero gift

Mastery of the violin took on new importance to Sham. His daughter was born in June of 2015. “Before she was born, I wanted to become a hero in my own right. Now, I want to be a ‘superhero’ for her,” Sham said.

“When I practice the violin at home, my daughter sits quietly and pays full attention to my playing. If her mother is not there, she will ask her mom to join,” said Sham, wearing a paternal smile.

Sham is also learning to become a good father, trying to fulfill his promise to himself at the time his daughter was born. But his old injury still haunts him.

Walking in the park with his daughter, a boy walked over and demanded to know if Sham’s arm would grow back. Sham said no, it wouldn’t. The boy turned to Sham’s daughter and said, “Your father has one arm forever. He’s different from my father.”

Sham didn’t know what to say. He felt disabled.

Not many days passed before his daughter wanted to give him a high five. Sam was flustered. He reached out with his right hand awkwardly.

“How about the other one? Give me five!” Sham’s daughter said, patting Sham’s stump. Sham was nonplussed.

“It made me realize I hadn’t fully accepted the reality of my amputation, even after 14 years,” said Sham. “My little daughter taught me a very good lesson. To become her superhero, I have to accept my imperfection and try to find an appropriate way to tell her how I lost my arm.”

Sham and Lam keep busy practicing songs, Castle in the Sky and Below the Lion Rock. They will perform those two songs at this year’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons Selection ceremony on Nov 24. Three days after that, they’ll perform at the Konica Minolta Green Concert. Lam says Sham is still a beginner on the violin but this is just the inception, not the final outcome.

Sham is coming to terms slowly with his personal tragedy. “It may sound ridiculous but sometimes I see good changes because of the amputation. At least it stimulated me to cultivate my first hobby,” Sham said.

Sham said playing the violin does not make life having only one arm easier for him. He still faces new challenges every day. Having a daughter who needs his care adds to the stress he carries with him wherever he goes, but he wouldn’t change it for the world because he has his little angel — and he will never stop trying to be her superhero.