Maricel Apatan, 22, stands in the kitchen of the Edsa ShangiLa Hotel in Manila, preparing to decorate a cheese cake. It would seem to be a routine task for a cake chef, but Maricel is no ordinary chef—she has no hands.
Maricel has come a long way since the day in September 2000 when she and her uncle were attacked near their farm. Fortunately, both of them survived, but the 11yearold girl lost her hands. In 2004, she entered a Manila training centre for people with disabilities. She learned how to write and do housework and, more importantly, came to terms with her disability.
After graduating from high school, she took a twoyear Hotel and Restaurant Management course and flourished even though she was the only disabled student in the course. After she moved back to Manila to continue her studies, the media started reporting on this determined young woman. She didn't shy away from the attention. “I wanted others living with disabilities to believe it's possible to live a normal life,” Maricel says.
When managers at the Edsa ShangiLa Hotel saw Maricel on television, they hired her as part of the hotel's Care for People project. She has also accomplished her goal of inspiring others. One of them is Ronelyn Calumpiano, a 21yearold with cerebral palsy (脑瘫). She saw Maricel on television and was moved by her confidence. Ronelyn will soon start classes and is already planning a career in IT.
Maricel's three younger sisters have moved to Manila. She pays for the rent of their small apartment, while their parents look after their family farm in Mindanao. “It is difficult to make ends meet, but I won't lose hope. I believe anything is possible if you dream, work hard and pray.”