The world of Tzu Chi June 2021 (Vol.135)

TZU CHI 135 13 A shocking revelation Onaisah’s father, Mohamad Harun Mohamad Hussein, aged 46, was the breadwinner for a family of six. The Covid-19 pandemic hit him hard. Following the implementation of the MCO in March 2020, Harun lost his job. Unable to pay his house rental, and facing the possibility of eviction, Harun appealed to friends for help and applied to UNHCR for subsidies. This desperate act signalled a glimmer of hope for Harun when Tzu Chi volunteers visited his home in August 2020. Upon learning about his illness, the volunteers suggested he sought treatment at the Tzu- Chi Free Clinic in Kuala Lumpur. Referral was arranged for his medical check-up at the hospital, where he was diagnosed with third- stage oral cancer. However, the RM700 monthly subsidy for a duration of six months under the CBI was insufficient to cover his expenses. In October 2020, the UNHCR granted RM10,000 for his surgical treatment, but he was still left with an outstanding medical fee of RM9,000. His eldest son, Abdul Hamid, stood as guarantor. The 19-year-old boy earns a meagre monthly wage of RM300 to RM400 as a part-time worker, and this was barely enough to cover his medical bills and put food on the table. Just when Harun thought he could find some work after his surgery, a lump began to grow on his operated right cheek, to the size of a fist. “I did not expect this after the surgery… My appearance shocked my children to tears. I cried and felt terrible. People would be disgusted by my disfigured looks and employers would not recruit me. How would I find a job to support my family?” His speech was a struggle, punctuated with profuse coughs, staining his tracheostomy tube with mucous and blood. The lump on his face obstructs his posture, and he has difficulty lying flat on the bed. Left with only six teeth after the surgery, eating is a challenge. Often sleepless and starving, Harun worries incessantly about the future of his wife and children. Running from political instability “We were bullied in our hometown… Our house was burned down, we could not go for prayers, life was a struggle. I ran away with my wife and children to escape the ordeal. With limited funds, I only managed to pay the deposit to travel to Malaysia to find a job and pay debts,” Harun recalled the nightmarish escape. Harun and his family escaped to Malaysia many years ago due to political instability in their homeland. Onaisah recalled, “My father said it was chaotic in our hometown so we escaped to Malaysia. I was very young then, and I could not remember much. According to my father, it was a grim story unreeling like a bad dream. Police refused to let us land ashore and chased us away. Mother said my younger sister was down with fever but we could not take her to a doctor.” After landing in Malaysia, Harun worked while his wife, Halimah, cared for their children at home. Soon after that, their youngest son was born. He was much at ease talking about his life before being diagnosed with cancer. Working in Malaysia was tough but he was doing fine, making a living in spite of monthly debt repayments. His youngest I Was Told to Run, and to Run Quickly