Disability has not held Moe Myint Maung back from running a successful trade selling jasmine.

A BOTCHED injection when he was two years old caused neurological damage, leaving his left side immobilised. He spent much of his life being carried around on his friends’ backs as they wandered aimlessly.

But Moe Myint Maung, now 45, had to learn to stand on his own two feet and to overcome his disability.

“I spent a lot of time causing trouble for others, but as time passed I became better,” he said.

“Before, I was half-human, but now I feel like I’m completely human. I can do almost everything for myself — change my clothes, look after myself and make a living as a jasmine seller,” he said.

Now, without anyone’s help, Moe Myint Maung manages to provide for his wife and his elders by selling jasmine on the busy streets of Yankin, between 3.30 and 8pm. For six years he has hawked flowers to passing cars and pedestrians. A hundred strings of fragrant jasmine hang from the pole attached to the hand-powered bike his brother bought him.

“When my brother bought me the bike, it was like being freed from a cage. I could stop wasting my time on the street with my friends,” he said.

Discrimination, physical obstacles and commun-ication barriers are some of the hurdles that he faces on a daily basis. That is why he always feels small and aggressive.

“I became increasingly violent towards someone who bullied me because I was disabled.

“My right hand is twisted. When I hand them the flowers, some customers think I’m a leper,” he adds.

But most of people have sympathy for him. A wealthy customer might buy all his flowers at the same time, and some give him money without taking a single blossom.

Just a few words of encouragement from a customer can set him up for the day, he said.

Selling jasmine ordered from a grower earns him K3000 or K4000 a day. “Sometimes I feel very depressed about the future. It’s hard for me to move even a short distance, and my hands shake when I eat,” he said.

At home, karaoke helps calm his mood.