Interview with Simey Truong, Germany

My name is Simey Truong. I am 26 years old and have OI type 3, so I am bit short (I am only 1.12m tall) and sitting in a wheelchair. During my childhood I had a lot of fractures, but they didn’t stop me from experiencing a lot. I’m a member of the German OI Society DOIG since I was born. There I have learned a lot, made friends and gained self-confidence. Since 2021, I am proud to represent the OIFE as Youth Coordinator.

Do you have a role in DOIG? What exactly?

In the DOIG, I am active as youth coordinator in a team of six. We try to connect young people with OI in Germany and organize meetings. Since the beginning of the year, I have also been leading the DOIG’s social media team. We use Facebook and Instagram for public relations and to inform our members about what is happening in the association.

What do you do outside OI work?

I’m currently working at SWR. It’s a big German radio and TV station. There I work in an editorial department which shows daily portraits of people from the region on Instagram. I also work for the children’s charity “Herzenssache”.

Why did you agree to join the OIFE Youth Coordinator Team?

I have been attending the OIFE Youth Events since I was 15 years old. At that time, I was one of the youngest participants. I have always enjoyed meeting new people and visiting foreign countries. Throughout the years I have made many friends in different parts of the world. As Youth Coordinator, I want to strengthen the connection between young people with OI. My goal is also to show how different we all are and at the same time quite similar.

How can the OI-organizations (and OIFE) be more inclusive and relevant for young people with OI?

I have often experienced that young people don’t want to join an organisation because they think that we are only talking about our sufferings. But at our meetings it’s not about what we can’t do. It is about supporting each other, encouragement and about showing that “We can do it!“ Together we are many and we can achieve a lot!

Any messages for the readers of OIFE Magazine?

I am glad that there is such a big organisation like OIFE. It connects people all over the world. This way we can show the world people who have become great personalities despite or just because of their disabilities.