Shock diagnosis

Ho is the only male figure skater from Macao to have participated in the National Games over the past eight years. In 2016, he took part in the 13th edition of the Games and ranked seventh in the teenagers' group.

That same year, when Ho looked set to make strides in his figure skating career, his world was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

"Several months after the National Winter Games, I vaguely felt that there was something wrong with my body. I started to have high fevers for no reason, and after each recovery, I would soon have another one, until my blood test showed that my hemogram was abnormal," Ho recalled.

He then spent more than two years in hospital in Hong Kong and Macao, battling the cancer. Recalling those days, Ho said figure skating was the pillar that helped him stay upbeat.

"I couldn't get on the rink for over two years, but in my dreams, I often saw myself on the ice, landing the jumps that had been easy for me when I was healthy," he said.

As soon as Ho's condition stabilized after a cord blood transplant, the skater persuaded his doctor to approve him to return to the rink.

"The doctor told me that I could skate, but that strenuous movements were forbidden. So after my chemotherapy every week, I could visit the rink for a while," he said.

Ho considers the rink his second home. During half-hour training breaks, he preferred to rest at the rink, instead of going to his nearby home. "These periods brought me closer to figure skating," he added.