5 Stories

Last Saturday, I went on an interesting journey with shi gu and shi po from Tzu Chi to 5 different places. Every place has its own unique story about a group of people who lead a far different life than all of us.

Story 1
First, we went to the house of an Indian family. Both the parents in this family have AIDS. The husband is a patient while the wife is the HIV virus carrier. But luckily both their children are free from this disease. They lead a very moderate life. The husband had stop working due to his worsen health condition, so now the wife is working to support her husband medical fees, their children education fee and life expenses.
Although their condition is bad, but it is glad to see that they haven’t give up hope. They tried their best to lead a normal life. The father sends his children to school and is still able to communicate well with outsiders like us. The mother works hard to support her beloved family. The children still can have the life like most of their companions despite having 2 sick parents.
The main problem for them is the high medical fees. The medication to control AIDS, vitamins and extra medicine to strengthen the patient’s immune system cost up to RM1000 per month. To help them, we Tzu Chi help them pay the medicine fees, electric and water bill.
But what touched me the most is their generous heart. They maybe live in a harsh life, but they still have the spirit to help others which are poorer than them. Shi gu told me that every month they will donate RM5 to Tzu Chi charity department to help others.

Story 2
Biomedical student like me had heard before the term dialysis many times in class. However I never had a chance to meet face to face with a dialysis patient until that day. The patient is a middle age man whose one of his kidney had damaged. Besides that, he has high blood pressure and I suspect high cholesterol level. He had undergone dialysis for 8 years now and used almost all of his money for it.
His family now is supported by his wife who works as a cleaner and cook during the weekend. The wife is around his age and start to feel tired if work for too long. Their daughter is just Form 3 and will be taking PMR end of this year. He must go for dialysis at a hospital in Jalan Ipoh 3 times per week and every time he must spend around RM110. Although the government will subsides him for about RM50, but he still have to pay the rest RM60. This means that in 1 month he must spend around RM720.
They are quite poor and live in their relatives’ house for the mean time. Luckily, they will get a house from Bandaran at the end of the year. But I feel pity for them. The man’s eyesight is not good and he can only slightly see due to the complication of his renal failure. Hopefully, their daughter will study hard and bring them better life in the future.

Story 3
This is the only Chinese family we visit that day. The man has problem with his vertebra and has difficulty moving around. His vertebra had been “pushing” his legs’ nerve causing them unable to stretch them. He can drive but only for a short distance because his legs will get fatigue easily. As a result, he cannot work and had to get financial helps from others.
He told us that he had this problem since he was a kid but it was not so serious that time. He went for acupuncture a few times and his condition had been better. As we know the acupuncture must be done continuously to get the best effects. However, because the lack of money the treatment must be stopped and he is now back to square one. With the help of Tzu Chi, now he is able to undergo the treatment once again free in our free clinic. His condition is getting better and he is very satisfied with his progress.
The lesson that I learn for him is that we must not give up easily. He maybe is an OKU (orang kurang upaya) but he is a very social able person. He had many friends and through his friends he is always finding ways to improve his life. He learns how to apply for financial help, treatment and many more. Really hope that his disability will be heal sooner and he will have a chance to lead a more normal life.

Story 4
This is another interesting story. The person we visit this time is a pondan or “Ah Kua” or transsexual??? What make me even surprise is that they live together in an AIDS settlement just a few blocks from my house now. Whenever I take the bus, I will pass by there.
As a mention above, the Malay pondan is an AIDS patient but I don’t know what is the cause he get this disease. He also needs to spend around RM1000 per month for medication, so Tzu Chi will support his medication every 3 month. The rest of the time he will either get help from the government or by his own self.
He is also quite pity because both of his parents had passed away and his siblings also unable to support him. So, he must stay in the AIDS settlement to make him qualify for government financial support. He is also quite a religious guy because everyday he will go for religion and jawi class.

Story 5
The last family we visit is also an Indian family where only of the member have kidney problem. She is an old woman in her 70s and must undergo dialysis due to the fact that her kidney can no longer function properly. Because of her old age, she also faces a lot of problem and difficulties during the dialysis.
Just a few months ago, the dialysis machine stops during the dialysis process because the pressure is not high enough and the tubes that in her veins cannot perform normally. As a result, she must undergo a small operation to adjust the tubes so that the problem will not occur in the future.
She lives with her daughter and her family. The family is not well being either. The son-in-law only made around RM1900 per month for working as a driver. The family still have 4 children to support and is having a though time. So it was a huge relief when someone introduces Tzu Chi to them. Their dialysis fees was reduce and their water and electric bill are also been paid by Tzu Chi. Although their life is still though, but they say it is much better compared to old times.
Besides that, they introduce Tzu Chi to another old lady live nearby which also need help.