KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 — A 16-year-old Malaysian teenager could not hold his tears when he received a special welcome at the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Station in SS17 yesterday.
Wheelchair-bound Arsyad Ruzin, who has cancer, had dreamed of becoming a fireman and he got his wish fulfilled thanks to the Children’s Wish Society of Malaysia (CWS Malaysia), Subang Jaya fire station and the Lions Club of Subang Jaya.
According to a Facebook post by CWS Malaysia, he firemen honoured Arsyad as one of their own and even helped him put out a fire
This was a great effort for the teenager as he is wheelchair-bound and is now unable to talk because of his deteriorating condition.
He normally communicates with his parents with simple body language.
Arsyad was all smiles and gave the thumbs up to the firemen who made his wish come true.
Subang Jaya Fire Station head Syed Shahril Anuar Syed Sulaiman gave Arsyad a salute and said it was an honour for the firemen to fulfil his wish.
Shahril said when they heard about Arsyad’s wish from CWS Malaysia, they immediately agreed to the request.
“There isn’t anything we wouldn’t do to grant him his wish and bring a smile back to his life.
“We accorded him a fireman’s welcome and gave him a feel of what it’s like when we received a distress call with sirens blaring from the fire engines and firemen rushing out to respond.”
The teenager has been fighting cancer since February 2011 and has undergone surgeries, chemotherapy and radiotherapy since then.
Arsyad was presented with a fire truck fondant cake by the society.
He also received a Bomba bag from Shahril and a set of Lego fire truck from the Lions Club.
Subang Jaya assemblywoman Michelle Ng, who spent the whole morning with Arsyad and his family, was almost moved to tears.
“It was heart-warming to see our community come around Arsyad and his family to give him the best day possible.
“I pray that many more among us find it within us to give, and to keep placing others above ourselves just as how the Children’s Wish Society, our firemen and the Lion's Club of Subang Jaya did today,” she said.
CWS Malaysia vice president TH Teoh said the society was glad Arsyad’s wish had been fulfilled with very passionate partners in the community.
“Together, we fulfilled Arsyad’s wish. He shed a tear and kept lifting his thumb to tell us he was having the time of his life.
“We are glad to have made that difference for this young teenager. All of us were touched by his plight and put our best foot forward to make his day,” Teoh said.
CWS Malaysia is a national charity organisation dedicated to fulfilling wishes of children with terminal illnesses or life-threatening ailments across the country.
