KChin's Farewell Lunch

KChin is a young guy that was sponsored to come over to Australia from Vietnam, where he had sustained an injury as a child which necessitated amputation of his right leg from the thigh down. I first came across KChin through my mate Craig Morgan, whose Mum and Dad were sponsoring the trip over and looking after KChin during his stay here. Craig mentioned that, at some stage, KChin would have to go back to Vietnam to resume his life, and that he was doing everything he could to get some work experience. KChin has been fitted with an artificial leg (most recently a titanium one!) and appears to be unaffected by this.

I offered him a couple of days a week work experience, working in my team and getting him some IT experience. KChin started with us in October of '08 and quickly became part of the team. What has amazed me has been KChin's seemingly never ending enthusiasm for anything asked of him; his approach is positive and he's never afraid of hard work - he's been an inspiration to all of us and we were all sad to hear that "D-Day" is coming soon... KChin has to leave Australia as his visa is nearing it's end. So, the team decided to send KChin off with a celebration lunch, and we went to L'Academie for a send-off lunch.

Meeting KChin has been a real wake-up call for me; I imagine what life has been and will be like for KChin, and I'm personally in awe of his approach to his life, which in many senses is a gift. KChin had broken his leg as a child and, unlike we westerners, he or his folks were unable to seek medical attention - so they just carried on. Over time his leg became a burden but he managed to carry on, although how I can't imagine. Recently I've busted up one of my fingers and, while feeling sorry for myself, remembered that I'm lucky, in all likelihood I'll have my finger back 100% because I've access to modern medicine and all the benefits that come with it - KChin didn't have these systems in place and eventually that cost him his leg.
So we went off to lunch to celebrate KChin's looming return to his home country. Apparently he may have an opportunity in the tourism industry, and I hope it works out. I know for sure that, whatever he ends up doing, he'll put 100% of his energy into. If he was able to stay I would have him on my team in an instant!