Madam Tay Et, 52, has a severely disabled son named Kevin.

The 21-year-old was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy - a severe form of the muscle disease that progressively weakens the muscles - when he was 10 years old.

For the last 11 years, this mum has been the main caregiver to her wheelchair-bound son.

There are other family duties to take care of too, of course.

The work starts at 5.30am when she wakes up to prepare breakfast for her 15-year-old daughter before she goes to school.

Household chores keep Madam Tay occupied until Kevin wakes up.

In the course of the day, she will brush his teeth, bathe and feed him, among other responsibilities.

He spends most of his time watching TV and surfing the Internet when he is awake.

At night, mum wakes up every few hours to turn his body to prevent him from getting bed sores.

Before he graduated from Temasek Polytechnic last year, where he studied Internet and Multimedia, she would accompany him to all his classes.

The duo would make their way to school from their Pasir Ris flat in a London cab. The round trip cost $50 a day.

The time spent together has made them extremely close.

'She does not treat me like a son. She treats me more like her friend, her best friend,' said Kevin, whose 52-year-old father is a salesman.

These days, Kevin is so weak he hardly goes out.

'Sometimes, Kevin doesn't want to go out because he's worried about the cost of booking a taxi that can accommodate his wheelchair,' said Madam Tay. She quit her job as a factory worker 11 years ago to take care of him.

With only her husband working, she admits that finances are tight and she tries to be frugal.

Talking about death is not taboo for mother and son.

For them, it is a 'miracle' that he is still alive - those afflicted by Duchenne muscular dystrophy generally do not live beyond their 20s.

The impending separation is not without its heartaches.

'I will be lost without him,' said Madam Tay, her voice dropping to a whisper.

Asked how Kevin shows his love for her, she recalled that he had to undergo major surgery nine years ago.

She was worried he might not survive it and asked him to draw Doraemon, the cartoon cat, on a card for her.

Despite difficulty in moving his hands, he finished that task.

'Sometimes I think that there are many mothers who have it worse than me. They have children who can move and walk, but they go astray and don't listen to their mothers,' she said.

'I may have given birth to a disabled child, but at least he is filial and has a heart for his parents.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.