Behind every award is a team of supporters

“Sherry has big dreams!” my neurologist once told my mom while explaining the difficult decisions my medical team had to make, adding that the team was doing its best. At the time, I had wanted to become a video game writer, hoping to follow in the footsteps of the creators whose work inspired my passion for the gaming industry.

I envisioned that future as I wrote my first game demo for an award-winning writer’s workshop led by Greg Buchanan: One day, I would join a million-dollar gaming studio after years of honing my skills. My colleagues would feel like family as we collaborated on projects we wholeheartedly believed in. The games we created might not be groundbreaking in technology, but they would resonate beautifully with the narrative. We would receive heartfelt messages from fans about how our work had changed their lives, and if we were fortunate, we might win Game of the Year at an awards ceremony.

Unfortunately, I no longer saw a path toward that dream. Chronic spinal pain and the side effects of opiates had tormented me for months. My pain was so excruciating that there were days when I found eating nearly impossible. We were unsure if I would ever be able to sit comfortably again.

One year later, after extensive consideration from my medical team, particularly my pain specialist, I regained the ability to sit confidently for hours at an awards ceremony, where I received my second national award for disability advocacy this year.

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People who want me to succeed

As I write this column, it strikes me that no one truly knows what to say when their name is called, just before receiving a trophy. It’s overwhelming. I’ve concluded that most of us simply wing it, as I have done. If this column makes sense, credit goes to my editors.

What I do know, although it may sound cliché or even disingenuous, is that my career wouldn’t be what it is today without the people around me.

The moment I expressed my desire to give up on my career and my quality of life, my doctors sprang into action. My psychologist was contacted, and they held meetings to support me. To encourage me to keep going, my neurologist visited me in the hospital with a nomination form for the SingHealth Inspirational Patient and Caregiver Awards — my first national award here in Singapore. She had witnessed my determination in advocating for financial access to Evrysdi (risdiplam) to treat my spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and she didn’t want that fighting spirit to wane.

Assistant professor Kuansong Victor Zhuang, one of Singapore’s pioneering scholars in disability studies at Nanyang Technological University, would agree with her. Victor is not only someone who nominated me for my second national award, but also a friend and collaborator to whom I owe many career milestones. He was one of the editors who invited me to contribute to Singapore’s first disability studies anthology, “Not Without Us: Perspectives on Disability and Inclusion in Singapore.”

Thanks to that anthology, I was able to write my dream essay about my experiences in the video game industry. Without that opportunity, I doubt I would have been selected for the Game Awards’ Future Class program in 2023. Although that initiative is now on hold, it previously aimed to remind everyone in gaming that our industry’s future is better when it is diverse and inclusive.

By the time this column is published, I will have received the Goh Chok Tong Enable Award for Promise, with Victor, my brother, Gabriel, and my mom in attendance at the ceremony. The award will be presented by none other than Singapore’s Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and current President Tharman Shanmugaratnam — a fact that is still hard for me to believe.

I wouldn’t be here without my best friend, Brianna Albers, and everyone else at SMA News Today. Brianna was not only the first person to champion my career, but also the first columnist for SMA News Today. I wouldn’t have this job — or any of my journalism training — without her support. If anyone deserves accolades, it’s her and our incredibly patient editors. They taught me the skills that others have praised in my writing and advocacy, and their contributions should not go unnoticed.

My dreams have evolved significantly over the past year. I’ve received opportunities that have made me uncertain about committing to a career in the video game industry. I can’t envision the path of my future anymore. That uncertainty might have scared me a year ago, but now I know I’ll be OK, thanks to all of the support around me.

Note: SMA News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of SMA News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to spinal muscular atrophy.