For 36-year-old Filipino chess player Francis Ching, who has retinis pigmentosa and is completely visually impaired, believing in love as a husband and father does not require seeing. In 2008, Francis was working as a massage therapist at a mall in Mandaluyong when a customer came in to give herself a birthday treat. The massage clinic, Vibes Massage, employs over 800 visually impaired therapists spread over four cities in the Philippines.
“At first, I [couldn’t] believe he’s blind because he was playing chess with the other masseur,” said Johanna. However, she quickly understood when she noticed the specialised holes in the chessboard. “I felt an admiration for such a skill […] He brought honour to our country.”
They finally had a proper conversation a few months later. “We became friends, but that was it,” said Francis. At least, that was how it seemed for the time being. Less a year later, their feelings had blossomed to the point that “I felt that this [was] the man I wanted to spend my days and nights with,” said Johanna.
Despite meeting with disapproval from her family, the couple moved in together and had a daughter, who is now five years old. Francis feels that when his daughter was younger, it was difficult for her to understand his visual impairment.
“My daughter is not blind. She wants to show me things, and then [she wonders] why I don’t answer.”
However, he chooses to see his visual impairment as a guide in his journey of fatherhood. “It’s difficult to teach her academics. I cannot teach her [concepts] like letters and numbers. But on values and morals, she’s listening to me.”
These days, when his daughter is not busy with karate or school, she bonds with Francis by playing – what else – chess. “She says she wants to be like me, a chess player,” said Francis, who is the reigning national chess champion and consistently comes in 2nd or 3rd at the regional level.
The couple married last year on 24 April 2015. Their faith helps them to deal with the challenges of marriage, especially with any difficulties that stem from Francis’ visual impairment. “[God] blessed me with a beautiful yet unique family, rich with love,” said Johanna.
“Don’t lose hope. We need those trials to build up ourselves and our skills.”
