The Birth Story of Brent Isaac Lim Sy
July 18, 1998
In November 1997, while living and working in Taiwan, I found out I was pregnant with my second child It was a mix of emotions—we were happy, but also worried, especially with the financial struggles we were facing at the time. Our plan was to have the baby delivered in Taiwan so we could continue working and supporting our small family.
But life changed unexpectedly.
On June 6, 1998, a tragic accident happened—my father (Lim Se Kay) was in a hit-and-run incident and was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. In the midst of heartbreak and grief, we had to make a sudden decision. I flew back to the Philippines as a chance passenger with my brother (Anthony) and my firstborn son (Jayzon) to attend the funeral.
Because of everything that had happened, our original plans shifted. My husband and I decided it was best for me to stay in the Philippines and deliver our baby there. On July 18, 1998, our beautiful second son was born. His daddy Julian gave him the name ( Brent Isaac Lim Sy )
After just three months, I made the hard decision to return to Taiwan and process his legal papers so he could eventually join us there . It was painful leaving him behind, but I left him in the loving care of my mother (A-mah Remedios ).
It took longer than we had hoped. He was already three years old by the time I was able to come back and fetch him. I was nervous about how he would react—but when we finally reunited, my heart was full. He recognized me instantly and joyfully told everyone in the house, “My mom is here !” It was such a happy and emotional moment.
As we were traveling back to Taiwan, we had a stopover in Hong Kong. Suddenly, he refused to board the next plane—he wanted to go back and find his nanny ( Yaya Cha-Cha )! It took a flight attendant’s help to carry him onboard. Thankfully, his older brother calmed him down and explained why we had to continue the journey. He understood a bit of English but mostly spoke our local dialect ( Bisaya).
When he started attending school in Taiwan, it was a bit of a culture shock. He spoke to everyone in dialect—even his classmates! And for the first few days, he didn’t like the food at school and refused to eat lunch. But Brent adapt quickly. Within three months, he was speaking Mandarin and began enjoying the school food, even looking forward to it.
In 2003, we moved back to the Philippines for good. But now, he was the funny boy who only spoke Mandarin—even to people who couldn’t understand him! He had forgotten how to speak English or our local dialect ( Bisaya ).
Looking back, his journey was full of love, sacrifice, laughter, and growth. From a little boy who waited three years to be with us, to one who bravely adjusted to a whole new world, his story is one of resilience and joy. He truly brought so much color and life to our family.
