Verses that heal, poetry as legacy: S’pore man with terminal illness launches book

SINGAPORE - He was at the top of the world, but an aggressive, incurable disease turned Mr Yeo Whee Jim’s world upside down overnight.

In February 2023, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and given a prognosis of two to five years.

Motor neurone disease is a rare condition that leads to muscle weakness, often with visible wasting.

The neurons in Mr Yeo’s muscles are breaking down, and he has lost his fine motor skills and ability to control his limbs.

“I’m stripped bare of everything now,” the 50-year-old told The Straits Times on June 20. “I’ll be lying if I say I have no feelings of resentment, bitterness and fatigue.”

Devastated that life was ebbing away day by day, he decided that he must leave his legacy behind in some form. He settled on poetry.

Mr Yeo launched his first collection of poems titled Itinerary at the Arts House on June 28, a 96-page book containing his reflections on legacy, mortality and leading a full life.

It also includes photographs he took using his mobile phone when he was more able-bodied.

Mr Paul Tan, his former colleague and now friend, mooted the idea that he write an essay on legacy for The Straits Times. Mr Yeo’s opinion piece in November 2023 was well-received.

Mr Tan, a published poet, then urged him to try poetry, seeing it as a way for him to transcend his physical limitations and express himself despite his debilitating condition.

“My first reaction was “siao” (mad). I’m not even an amateur poet to begin with,” Mr Yeo recalled.

Yet, he went along with the idea, and with Mr Tan’s tireless guidance and constant prodding, he completed 33 poems between November 2023 and January 2024.

The voice-to-text software embedded in his mobile phone helped him overcome the loss of his fine motor skills.

“I was in a hurry, given the limited time I have. I just did it.”

Before the diagnosis, Mr Yeo was living it up. He was lean, fit, and active – practising yoga, lifting heavy weights, climbing mountains, and swimming up to 120 laps.

“I was living life to the fullest, and I’d never felt fitter in my life,” he said.

Then, Mr Yeo began losing his abilities one by one. Swimming half a lap became challenging, buttoning a shirt was a monumental struggle, and friends were shocked to see how much weight he had lost.

In January 2023, he went for a check-up, and the diagnosis came back a month later. His world crumbled right before his eyes.

In 2021, after a distinguished career of over 20 years in public service, Mr Yeo left his comfort zone to start his own business, Light My Path Consulting, offering corporate, learning, and workshop facilitation.

He has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Osaka University, Japan, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the BI Norwegian School of Management, Norway.

He was director of the Public Service Commission Secretariat in the Prime Minister’s Office, institute director of governance and policy at the Civil Service College, and senior director of arts and heritage in the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

His business engagements took him across the region, allowing him to savour both work and life at his own pace. He also helped other Asian countries, such as Bhutan’s Royal Civil Service Commission, to transform its civil service.

A single parent after his wife died of breast cancer in 2013 at age 39, Mr. Yeo and his daughter, now 18, travelled the globe, visiting places like South Africa, British Columbia, the Galapagos Islands, and the Arctic Circle.

He also served actively in his church in various capacities, including as a Sunday school teacher.

His current work, written primarily in English with some poems or lines in Singlish, Mandarin, Malay, Japanese, and Cantonese, reflects Singapore’s multicultural tapestry. They are also intercultural, with dialogues between different cultures such as Malay and English in his poem, Ode to Ondeh-Ondeh.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam wrote in the book that “Whee Jim’s poetry, instructed by life’s transience, is both deeply poignant and liberating. Reading him, on hope, on capsizing on the river of life and flipping things over, on rethinking, and on love, is to know ourselves better.”

Mr Yeo said the book started off narrowly from his own selfish perspective to leave a legacy and help his daughter understand how he is feeling.

“But it’s also my humble wish now that it will help those struggling with illnesses, faith, life, relationships – maybe give them some hope, solace and comfort.”

He acknowledged that he had a fulfilling life.

Today, he moves around on a wheelchair, and needs help with bathing and eating. He takes medication to slow down the disease’s progression. It costs him $20 a pill, and he has to pop it twice a day.

He shut his company in April, and spends his days reconnecting with friends and renewing relationships. He does not know if he will be physically able to write again, considering his swift degeneration.

“Perhaps my next project is staying alive,” he said. “My muscles ache, my joints are tight, and I get breathless easily. It’s a prolonged sense of discomfort that will only get worse.”

Reflecting on life’s unpredictability, he said:“We tend to think we have tomorrow, next week, next year, but sometimes in life, things can change very quickly. Don’t overthink things, just do it.”

Just like his first poetry collection, which he said could be his last.

Itinerary can be bought at https://bit.ly/43WlfIO and Kinokuniya at $30 (before GST). Hard cover copies are $40 before GST (limited copies available). Net proceeds from the sales will be donated to the Motor Neurone Disease Association Singapore.