KUANTAN, June 13 — The excitement of talking about her new home turned melancholic when Rohani Md Nor remembered her son, Nor Hafiza Helmi Abu Bakar, who passed away before realising his dream to provide a more comfortable house for her.
Rohani, 56, said her only child, who suffered from kidney disease since he was nine years old before he passed away in December 2017 at age 30, had informed her of his intent to build a new house in front of their dilapidated family house.
“A few months before Helmi (Nor Hafiza Helmi) passed away, he kept on saying ‘dok dang’ (not enough time) to provide for a new house...maybe I will get a two-pillared house first (grave),” she told Bernama at her house in Kampung Pasir Kemudi, Sungai Lembing, about 42 kilometres from here, today.
Rohani is one of four under-privileged individuals in Sungai Lembing, who received a visit and personal contributions from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
Also present during the visit were their Majesties’ children Tengku Panglima Muda Tengku Ahmad Ismail Mu’adzam Shah, Tengku Puteri Raja Tengku Puteri Afzan Aminah Hafizatullah and Tengku Puteri Raja Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah ‘Athiyatullah.
Rohani said, initially, she refused to believe when told about the visit yesterday because it seemed impossible.
The royal couple also visited brothers Tuan Azmi Tuan Hasan, 49, and Tuan Mohd Azizi, 42, who were bed-ridden due to a nerve disease in Bukit Kuin 2. The brothers lived on their own after the death of their mother in 1998.
Since her passing, a third son, Tuan Azman, 47, had been taking care of the brothers. He would travel to the family’s home several times a day as he lived with his family in Kampung Pandan Jaya, about 15 km from Sungai Lembing.
“My brothers have been suffering from the disease since birth and it slowly causes them to lose the ability to stand and walk. My elder brother managed to go to school until form three while my younger brother studies until primary six,” he said.
Bukit Kuin 1 resident, Faratun Naim Mi, 47, who was disabled, admitted that he was overwhelmed when Al-Sultan Abdullah instructed a representative of the Pahang Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MUIP) to provide a new wheelchair for him after eyeing the one was using.
“I informed His Majesty that my wheelchair is still in good condition but he was adamant about giving me a new one. Hearing this, Tunku Azizah suggested I use the old wheelchair to perform every day tasks and the new one to look voguish.
“I was nervous when informed about their Majesties’ visit here because I was afraid I might say the wrong things, but their friendly disposition made it go away,” he said.
Faratun Naim said the royal couple advised him to continue to be strong and enthused when they were told that he still performed various jobs including cutting grass despite his disability.
He said he was paralysed from waist down after a motorcycle accident when he was 21 and was now living with his 75-year-old mother, Zaleha Abdullah. — Bernama
