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A Rare Disease
with No Cure
By Yilie Lo
For 44-year-old Alan Ho Chun- have to live on a monthly disabil- “
lun, simple things in life, such as ity allowance of HK$4,010 from
walking and talking, can become the government. Our whole family I used to make
challenges. After a year since his is living off my savings. My elder HK$75,620 every
diagnosis, he still suffers from kid is just 9 years old and my wife
occasional joint pain caused by a quitted her job to take care of me month before I got
rare disease called Adult-Onset full-time,’ Ho, who had taught for
Still’s Disease (AOSD). 20 years, says. AOSD.
Ho lost his eyesight and has diffi- In November 2021, the former Now, I have to live on a
culty walking and speaking after teacher was hospitalized after
suffering from a cardiac arrest and suffering from two weeks of monthly disability al-
stroke. In August 2022, he re- recurrent fevers. He experienced lowance of HK$4,010
signed from his job as a secondary intermittent loss of consciousness,
school English teacher. a nine-minute cardiac arrest, and from the government.
a stroke.
“I used to make HK$75,620 every ”
month before I got AOSD. Now, I It took doctors nearly a month
