The world of Tzu Chi March 2020(Vol.120)

T an Heah Tin was well-known for her hairdressing expertise among the residents of the Jalan Air Panas Setapak neighbourhood in her youth; many Tzu Chi volunteers used to be her regulars. However, age had compelled her to retire from her hairdressing business. The walls of her home are adorned with certificates acknowledging her participation in hairstyling and grooming courses overseas – a testament to her illustrious past. Heah Tin has four children; both her daughters and one of her sons are residing in the UK and rarely return home. After losing her husband to illness, she had only her eldest son Chin Hong Wei, fondly known as Kent, for company. Heah Tin’s health had declined considerably, while Kent displayed signs of mild mental disability. Hence, Heah Tin’s neighbours were constantly on the lookout for the mother-and-son pair. Upon noticing that Heah Tin stopped leaving the house for meals for several days, the neighbours were worried for her and contacted Tzu Chi KL & Selangor to relay Heah Tin’s predicament, hoping for the volunteers to provide care to her and her son. The volunteers arrived at Heah Tin’s house to discover clutter strewn haphazardly across the unkempt space in an unsightly mess. The old-fashioned lighting fixtures hanging from the wall and the decorative ornaments perched atop the table were smothered in cobwebs and layers of dust. The floor was littered with cat’s droppings and a foul odour permeated the air; the volunteers winced at the stench and instinctively held their breath. The gaunt Heah Tin was lying supine on the single-sized bed in the middle of the living room and appeared helplessly weak, her eyes glazed over. Pieces of clothing were carelessly draped over both ends of the bed. Her feet were resting on a round stool, her head propped by a mooncake box. The volunteers sympathized with her and her son’s deplorable plight and offered to restore their home to liveable conditions. Labour of love During the volunteers’ subsequent visit to discuss housekeeping arrangements with Heah Tin, Kent informed them that Heah Tin had been admitted to the hospital for diarrhoea. The volunteers sought permission from Kent to clean the house in anticipation of Heah Tin’s return, hoping to welcome her home to a cosy environment. Ateamofmore than20volunteersgathered at Heah Tin’s house on the morning of July 27, 2019 for the cleaning session. The volunteers had to disinfect the house twice to thoroughly clean every nook and cranny, particularly certain corners in the house that were caked with dust and hardened cat’s droppings. Next, the volunteers worked together to declutter the space, permitting Kent to decide how best to handle the items found in and around the house. An assortment of hairstyling equipment, perming machines, hair-washing counters and hairstyling products that had been gathering dust in the house were cleared for disposal. The volunteers combed through the pile and recovered recyclable items to be sent to recycling vendors in an effort to reduce waste. Finally, the house had been emptied of clutter, allowing more room for the volunteers to move around and easing the cleaning process. The volunteers also applied a fresh coat of paint on the living room walls. Kent was touched to see the refurbished living room, eagerly capturing the outcome of the makeover on his phone and sent the photo to his younger TZU CHI 120 45