Sermon Illustrations
Boy with Rare Disease and Rare Gift Declares God's Goodness
Anson Hui is Nineteen-years-old. At the age of three, he was diagnosed with Glycogen Storage Disease (GSD), meaning his body can't break down or store sugars. He requires frequent daytime feedings (drinking raw cornstarch), and nighttime feedings through a pump that hooks into a surgically implanted tube to his stomach. At the age of five, he experienced developmental delays that doctors feared were connected to autism. At that point in his life, he couldn't speak sentences with more than three syllables. He also became a target for school-yard bullies. No wonder that Anson often asked, "Why did God put me here?"
However, Anson also discovered that he had a gift. He said, "While everyone else was busy talking, I listened and listened to all the sounds around me." His listening skills helped him develop another gift—perfect or absolute pitch. Anson discovered that he could memorize and then master complex piano pieces (such as Mozart's Concerto in D Minor) with astounding speed and proficiency. Anson has won numerous awards and even performed in Carnegie Hall. Anson's trials and his gifts have led him to declare his deep faith in the living God: "I can't decide many things that God has already planned, but I can still choose to work on my dream because I still have workable hands and a body to do it. I believe every single life is unique and special. Each has its own mission and purpose."
In 2016 he received more difficult news. An MRI revealed a benign tumor around his liver, which could lead to a liver transplant, a tricky procedure for any GSD patient. But once again, Anson finds solace in God's faithfulness. In a recent interview Anson said,
I know [there's] always a reason for God to give me a special body and talent. My dream is to be a tool of God … so in the end, I can hand in a beautiful [report] to my Lord in heaven with honor. And the most important thing is—I will never regret this journey on earth.
March 2024 update on this remarkable young man:
Nineteen-year-old Anson Hui has given concerts in Europe, Asia and North American. Anson recently won the gold medal from the AADGT International Young Gifted Musicians Festival and performed in New York Carnegie Hall in March 2017.
He had a daily g-tube internal feeding for 15 years and traveled over 60 cities in 20 countries, with all his feeding equipment. He had a liver transplant from an anonymous living donor back in May, 2016, which inspired his change from music to medicine. He is currently a 3rd year student at Laboratory Medicine Pathbiology Specialist Program in University of Toronto.