Awesome show to remember

Para swimmer’s act music to the ears – especially hers

KUALA LUMPUR: It was an “awesome” night for Dawnette Yeo Yi Lin (pic) who played the role of the violinist silhouette in the performance for the 9th Asean Para Games opening ceremony.

The Malaysian para swimmer and violinist displayed her talent during the performance that featured international singing sensation Yuna.

“It was pretty awesome,” she said while watching the swimming events at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil.

The performance opened with a drape showing the silhouette of a disabled woman and her shadow, playing the violin.

At one point, the woman makes a mistake and casts her violin aside, disappointed, but her shadow encourages her to continue.

She picks up her violin again and begins to improve.

The drape then falls to the ground to reveal Yeo, who lost her left leg to cancer.

The bubbly 23-year-old said she was not daunted by the massive crowd.

Nonetheless, for the UCSI University student majoring in classical music for violin, it was the biggest audience she has had so far.

However, this year’s Games also marked a sore point in Yeo’s athletic career.

Still recovering from surgery last year for a spine and back injury as well as tumorous growths in nerve tissue, Yeo decided to forgo competing this time around.

“But I made the right choice. I have to get my health back,” she said.

If she recovers in time, she said she would try to make the cut for the national para swimming team at the next Games.

Yeo is no stranger to trials and tribulations.

At age 10, she was diagnosed with bone cancer, undergoing chemotherapy and surgery to her leg.

Two years later, the cancer spread and part of her right lung had to be removed.

The following year, metal plates and screws in her leg fell apart, leading to an unsuccessful procedure and resulting in her left leg being amputated.

She said she was able to cope with the change due to the positivity of her parents. She said they told her to “think about your ability rather than your disability”.