TERRI KAY

More About Shirley Cheng

Terri's Notes

In developing pages for guest authors, occasionally I have asked  for information beyond that which is
requested on the Guest Author Form.  As time and space permit, I will share more about the gifted and
talented people whose work appears on this site.  

1.        As a young child, you were the subject of an international custody battle.  What happened
and what was the outcome?

The custody case took place when I was seven years old. It was an unreasonable, unjust case brought on
by a doctor who tricked us (my mom and me) into visiting him before we were to go to China for
treatment. To understand the case better, let me explain my situation back then: I was extremely ill with
severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. American doctors did not have effective medicine to control my
inflammation. That doctor who took away the custody recommended surgery on six of my joints at once,
but because of my very poor health, my mother wisely disagreed. So, he took away her custody of me
just because of a disagreement. Doctors in America said I could not walk without surgery, but when I
was in China at the age of four, I was able to walk for one year from receiving massage therapy (not
physical therapy like what we have in America), and shots. Unfortunately, the quality of the shots
decreased, and like they say, the rest is history. The custody case was broadcast internationally, including
CBS This Morning, The Associated Press, New York Times, Newsweek, etc.

My mother won the battle with flying colors because she had reason and ground, and good always
prevails. My mom lives with me, and she's my caregiver 24/7. She has been taken care of me all my life
and loving me with all her heart and soul. My mother, Juliet Cheng, is a wonderful person, a wonderful
mother. She is the cornerstone in my life, like water for plants and oxygen for aerobic organisms.


2. What are you doing now?

Currently, I am promoting my books. It is hard promoting my books off-line since I am both blind and
wheelchair-bound. So, I mainly rely on the Internet to get the word about my books out to others. I am so
thankful to be living in times of technological advances; a blind person like me can use a computer with
the aid of a screen reader--it is just fantastic. I am living at home and not going to school. I need to see
again in order to attend college; I cannot use braille because of my severe arthritis, so doing math would
not be possible (though I had successfully balanced and wrote long chemical equations and took the entire
GED test, including math calculations, graphs, and an essay, completely in my head).  


3.  In reference to your book, The Revelation of a Star’s Endless Shine: A Young Woman’s
Autobiography of a 20-Year Tale of Trials & Tribulations,  if you had a message that you really
wanted people to carry away or to know, what would it be?  

The greatest love in the world is a mother's love, and I'd like to share a passage from my book about the
unconditional love my mom has been giving me from the very start.  This part of the story occurred
during the time I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at eleven months old:

For more from Shirley's book, The Revelation of a Star’s Endless Shine: A Young Woman’s Autobiography of a 20-Year Tale
of Trials & Tribulations and for Shirley's May 2005 Guest Author page at this site, click here.

For an excerpt from Shirley's book, Daring Quests of Mystics and for Shirley's September 2005 Guest Author page at this site,
click here.

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©2004-2005 Terri Kay.  All rights reserved.  Terri Kay, PO Box 2861, Elkhart, IN  46515  main@terrikay.com


Yi's heart was torn. She ached with such pain that no words could describe.
But with much conviction, she knew she would strongly stand by her
daughter's side. She would try to make life the best experience for her. It
would not matter if Shirley would be disabled for life. She would still give all her
heart and soul, and love her more so. Shirley was so dear to her heart, and
nothing could change the fact. Shirley could be deaf and dumb, and she
would still love her no less. Yi's devotion for Shirley would never cease, not
even if she turned into a vegetable. But she fervently hoped that it would not
turn out to be so serious. Maybe it was a mild case of the disease. Shirley
might still be able to walk, and her eyes and heart might not be affected by it.

  But no amount of optimism could hide the fact: Shirley's days were spent in
constant pain, making all chores like dressing and bathing highly difficult.
Nights were spent with Yi rocking the suffering baby to sleep; most lasting long
into the night. Yi became worn down and exhausted. Twenty-four hours and
seven days a week were used up for the baby. Yi constantly stayed by
Shirley's side. But despite the hours of pain that had spread to all her joints,
Shirley still laughed between her tears whenever she saw a pretty fabric in the
room. Her sharp, observant eyes were always in search of treats for the vision.
 
  This was their fate. Yi accepted their Kismet and endured the hardship with
no word of complaint. She would grit her teeth till the end and tenaciously
move on. She would never give up for her daughter's sake. Shirley needed
her more than ever now. And deep down inside, she knew they were watched
over by God. It was His plan. Neither she, nor anyone else, could understand
His mysterious plans that He had laid out for others. It was futile to be angry,
have vengeance upon her heart, and question God about their lives. She
knew whatever He did was for a reason, so together with no one else by their
sides, they persevered onward along their rugged path.  

The Revelation of a Star’s Endless Shine: A Young Woman’s Autobiography of a 20-
Year Tale of Trials & Tribulations, © 2004 by Shirley Cheng.   All rights reserved.