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Published: June 9, 2022, 4:40 a.m.

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Today\\u2019s episode is with a social enterprise entrepreneur from Malaysia, Yap Sook Yee. Sook Yee is the co-founder of Frienden Arts and WeCareJourney.

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WeCareJourney is an association that helps parents and caregivers with children who are born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

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She started her social enterprise, FriendenArts, to sell the art and art merchandise that her two sons, Jaden and Branden, create. Treatments for the two boys are expensive and Sook Yee and her husband wanted to use their boys\\u2019 art and art products as a way to fund the treatments.\\xa0

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Branden was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) at the age of one. It is a rare terminal genetic condition and Sook Yee and her husband were told that their son only had one more year to live.

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Sook Yee and her husband tried looking for more positive answers from doctors and everyone told them the same thing - that Branden would not live past 2 years old.

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Today, Branden is 11 years old.

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Sook Yee has been tireless in bringing awareness about SMA to parents and medical professionals. She and her husband advocate for the SMA community while lobbying for SMA drugs to be made available in Malaysia. She is seeing changes in the landscape and conversations about SMA. When before there seemed to be no hope, now she advises parents to never give up. Her Branden is living proof!

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We talk a lot more in this episode about living and dying, gratitude, making memories, having dreams and why it\'s important to talk about the elephant in the room.

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If you are listening to this on your favourite podcast player, please subscribe to the podcast. And if you have enjoyed my podcast, leave me a review.

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This is a bonus episode and the final episode of Season 4.

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I\'ll be back with Season 5 in September. Until then, check out the earlier seasons of the podcast.

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For other information, visit WomenpreneurAsia.com

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Thank you for being a listener.

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