The world of Tzu Chi January 2020 (Vol.118)

TZU CHI 118 39 In this family portrait taken over a decade ago before the fire incident, Foo Sau Yoke is seen smiling radiantly at the camera. [Photograph courtesy of Foo Sau Yoke] karma to decide my fate, so there’s no point in worrying,” she remarked coolly. As a child, Sau Yoke lived the tough life. She had to shoulder the responsibility of managing the household after her mother passed away when she was eight, besides assisting her father in tapping rubber and harvesting fruits from the orchard. She left home at the tender age of ten, working for a meagre wage to support her family’s livelihood. She picked up sewing at the age of 14 and moved to Kuala Lumpur at 17 for job stints as a domestic helper and a seamstress, only returning home a year later to live with her family. She was married at 23 and started her own family. However, her husband was often absent from home and neglected the family’s finances. She took over as the breadwinner of the family and made ends meet by sewing for a living, gritting her teeth through the demands of life as a working mother. She raised her four sons with the help of her brother-in-law, who supplied the family with foodstuff and infant formula. Meanwhile, her younger brother funded her house and car on her behalf. She opened a vegetable stall at the wet market with the support of her family, but the business venture failed to generate sufficient income to cover the household expenses. Sau Yoke’s relatives eventually managed to persuade her husband to contribute to her vegetable stall business by handling the logistics for the stall at the night market, enabling the family of six to thrive on earnings from the venture, sustained by the couple’s hard work. “My husband had a quick temper, but I endured his moods for the sake of the family. Nevertheless, I’m grateful that at least he agreed to help me with the business at the night market,” she recounted. Sau Yoke’s temper had been worn thin by a life of hardship and was often impatient with her children, who worked part-time jobs in their final year of primary school to supplement their mother’s income despite having to bear the brunt of her temperamental outbursts. Now, Sau Yoke would be awash with regret whenever she is confronted by recollections of her harsh treatment of her children. At the same time, she is grateful that her children are well-behaved and grew up safe from the influence of bad company. A brush with death An accident in 2010 drastically altered the course of Sau Yoke’s life. She unwittingly tugged at the pipe connecting the gas cylinder and the stove when she was cooking in the kitchen, triggering a fire that covered 58 percent of her body, including her face, in burns. Her son recalled rushing home upon receiving a phone call from his father to see his mother standing shell-shocked in the living room, her