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

TZU CHI 135 45 frequent the hospital for follow-up check-ups and did not want to trouble anyone. When they met again after a long time, Saw Tin learnt that Saw Yong had lost her vision in her right eye, and her left eye’s vision was also deteriorating. Whenever Saw Tin enquired about her condition, Saw Yong would always reply that she was doing fine. As they seldom saw each other, they eventually lost contact. One day in November 2020, when Saw Tin was eating at an Indian restaurant in Setapak with a fellow volunteer, Yong Mun Fei, the latter noticed that a mother and son were being asked to leave the restaurant before even ordering food. Saw Tin recognized them as Saw Yong and her son. She wanted to approach them but their motorbike was already beyond reach. This unexpected encounter bothered Saw Tin. The shop assistant informed her that mother and son would always patronize the restaurant but they did not always pay their bills; and sometimes, good Samaritans would pay for them. Saw Tin was taken by surprise. She knew Saw Yong had a son and a daughter, and she was supposed to be enjoying a worry-free life at her age now. How did she end up like this? Saw Tin recalled where Saw Yong lived, so she requested another volunteer, Tam Lih Jing, who stayed in the same apartment block, to find out what was going on. Lih Jing managed to identify Saw Yong’s apartment shortly after. Life’s unforgettable moments At the beginning of December 2020, Lih Jing and Saw Tin decided to visit Saw Yong. They were shocked to find the main entrance obstructed by countless items. There were empty bottles, junk and clothing in the house; plants, bottles, tin cans, cardboard boxes, broken electrical appliances and other items in the balcony. The door leading towards the balcony was blocked by all these items and could not be opened. The whole room was stuffy and gloomy. When Saw Yong and her son saw the two ladies, they were surprised. After Saw Tin introduced herself, Saw Yong observed her carefully and finally recalled who she was. Saw Yong then started to reminisce about the recycling work that she used to do in the past. She admitted that although she suffered from serious amnesia, she remembered her recycling days vividly, when everyone would laugh together while categorizing all the recyclables. She also had a vivid recollection of Saw Tin being very hardworking, moving and lifting recyclables. Saw Tin felt touched hearing Saw Yong talked about their old times. She learnt that Saw Yong’s eldest daughter lived abroad with her small family and had not returned home in years. Saw Yong was living with her 37-year-old son, Ooi Yee Meng. Saw Tin and Lih Jing discovered that Yee Meng was quite slow physically and mentally. He was also not very good at communicating with others. Yee Meng told them that he had once studied at a nearby college and also worked as a spray painter and a security guard for a short period of time before. Although Saw Yong had lost most of her memory, she was very certain that she had fully settled her house loan. She has monthly rental income of RM700 from a house she owns and that is how she survives. As she does not cook and has all her meals outside, Saw Tin guessed that either the two of them had spent all the money by the end of the