“Follow the Nike motto, ‘Just do it. Really, if you feel it’s right, just do it. Time is limited. If it turns south, it’s okay, you tried. Just try again and don’t repeat the same mistake.” – Jasmine

This Is Jasmine’s Story

Born and raised in Malaysia, Jasmine who is 24 years old, grew up in Kuala Lumpur and is currently a supervisor at a central kitchen. 

At the very young age of 11, Jasmine admired Olympic weightlifters from afar ever since the Beijing Olympics back in 2008. At that time, she felt like it was something she would love to do in the near future. However, her mother thought otherwise and said, “Lifting is for boys.” 

Epilepsy Doesn’t Stop Her From Fulfilling Her Dreams

During secondary school, she was pushed around and teased by her school sports team as she had epilepsy. For those of you who are unaware, epilepsy is a disorder whereby seizures can occur from time to time. Despite that, Jasmine managed to win a silver medal for the school’s marathon event in which her peers around her spread rumours about how she bribed the school to win it. “This really lowered my confidence level,” Jasmine shared. 

Because of her condition, many people advised her she shouldn’t do any sports despite having impressive achievements in Taekwondo. That didn’t stop her as she decided to ignore it, saved up for a gym membership and went ahead to fulfill her childhood dream, which is to perform weightlifting. 

“That’s when I started to learn how to deadlift, squat, lift dumbbells and swing kettlebells,” Jasmine enthusiastically told us. She really enjoyed it all and spent most of her time after school at her second home, which is the gym. From there, she started to feel more empowered and cared less about what others thought of her, especially those that made fun of her epilepsy where they mocked it in public. 

Overall, weightlifting thought her how to be patient. “I nearly burst into tears when I learned the proper techniques.” 

Fun Facts About Jasmine

Of course, aside from her gym, her second most favourite place on earth would be her bedroom. “I really love to go in there at the end of the day to reflect on the things I have done and figure out how to do it better.” 

Another fun fact about Jasminne is how she can put her left leg behind her neck (also known as a yoga pose). She also has been learning Taekwondo for 8 years and loves big breed dogs such as German Shepherds. 

We hope Jasmine’s story has inspired you the way it inspires us, to never give up on your dreams despite certain unforeseen circumstances! 

Do you have your own story to tell? Drop us an email at: contact@happyhormones.my 

Jasmine’s Instagram: @itsme_jasmineetay