Book Title:

“Tears in Heaven” 

A Touching Story of a Low Functioning Down Syndrome Girl

  Beloved Ivy Tham

Author: Hong Geok Hua 

Synopsis:

We are living in a fallen world. In our buttoned-up society, having a Down syndrome child seems to be a taboo. It strips away the gloss of today’s success to reveal the scars of humanity.

Author Hong Geok Hua narrates his own twenty-five years of experience in taking care of a Down syndrome child – Ivy Tham voluntarily, who is totally unrelated to his family. Ivy was from a poor family born when her parents were divorced. Physically she was also a complete vegetable with lifeless limbs and a hole in heart when delivered from her mother’s womb.

This is a true story tangled with sheer tapestry of human emotions, heartaches and pains. Rich with honesty, wisdom and a deep appreciation for every day miracles, Tears in Heaven is a thoughtful, moving reflection on the struggles and joys Hong Geok Hua and his family experienced in bringing up Ivy. He invites us into the deepest privacy of his innermost thoughts, feelings, fears, challenges and triumphs.

Studies indicate that more than 90 percent of prenatal Down syndrome diagnoses end in abortion. Parents are often influenced by friends and family to see these children as not a gift, but rather as a burden to be feared and eliminated. After abortion, the fallout from this loss places a tremendous strain on a couple as they struggle to come to terms with the shock and pain of their experience. But this very heartfelt, natural expression of love may be striking at a deeply repressed and painful wound in our culture.

Having a baby with Down syndrome is not something most parents would willingly choose. It does put a strain on family life and it is difficult for siblings. It is also a telling statistic that the divorce rate for parents of special needs children for the population.

The book hopes to hearten those whom have their Down syndrome child and bring to light the sheer passion of human love, care and devotion. Yet this book is first and foremost a story about the constant discovery of love and it will resonate with every reader who has traveled the always unpredictable, often overwhelming, wonder-filled journey into parenthood of a special child.down syndrome info

No matter who or where you are in relation to a child with Down syndrome, these pages will be like signposts along your road, to give hope and a new way of seeing things. It’s good to be able to see the potholes coming and be ready for them, and it’s good to know when to pull over and take the time to enjoy the breathtaking views that that only happen in this long road. down syndrome info

Its candid, vivid prose and poignant emotion makes the story difficult to put down and impossible to forget. Herein lies truth to be pondered and savoured by every mother, every woman, every human being.

This book is not about him but on the consuming passion of the human spirit that could sear and transcend every storms in life.

This story ends with the passing of Ivy Tham on 10 June 2010. The author closed with his eulogy during her funeral wake –

   `When Ivy passed on yesterday, I felt a relief. Not a

  relief from the burden of  taking care of her voluntarily;

  Ivy was never a burden in my life. Twenty-five

        years ago I made a promise to Ivy’s own elder sister

  that I will take care of Ivy for her entire life,

  unconditionally. It is FINISHED’.   

                      About the Author

Author Hong Geok Hua was featured on TV in the award winning “Extraordinary People” series in 1996 and in the follow-up series “Changing Lives” in 2001. In 2007, he was nominated as a finalist in the “Model Caregiver Award” organized by the Asian Women Welfare Association.