The world of Tzu Chi May 2020 (Vol.122)

TZU CHI 122 45 Opening doors to opportunities Thanaletchumi was first acquainted with Tzu Chi through her eldest son V. Sanjay Raj a/l B. Vincent, who received assistance from his school in applying for the Tzu Chi Study Grant in 2010. Mui Ling and several other volunteers visited the family to assess their plight and discovered that Thanaletchumi was employed in the packaging segment of a manufacturing line, while her husband worked at a timber factory. Despite being a dual-income family, the couple’s combined income was merely sufficient to support themselves and their two sons. Sanjay even faced the dilemma of lacking funding to settle his school fees when entering primary education. Thanaletchumi and her husband believed in the importance of quality education, hence the Tzu Chi Study Grant brought hope to the family and raised the profile of the organization in Thanaletchumi’s eyes. In 2015, Mui Ling paid the family a second visit following a request from the Kajang Hospital to assist Thanaletchumi with her medical costs. In the five years since Mui Ling’s first visit, the family had been dealt a blow with the demise of Thanaletchumi’s husband from heart complications in 2013. Thanaletchumi had been relying on welfare handouts to make ends meet due to the chronic pain in her knees that rendered her unfit for work. Mui Ling observed that Thanaletchumi appeared listless and anxious and learnt that she was unable to afford the doctor’s recommended prescription of medication and injections to alleviate the pain she had been experiencing, which extended from her knees to her calves. After due assessment, Mui Ling applied for emergency relief funding from Tzu Chi to enable Thanaletchumi to seek medical treatment with peace of mind. Thanaletchumi underwent an operation and reported to Mui Ling that the pain in her lower limbs had eased considerably during the latter’s follow-up visit. However, in late 2017, the volunteers received news that Thanaletchumi was not only afflicted with pain once again, but was also living in dire straits. Mui Ling and the volunteers paid her another visit and were taken aback by the condition of her left calf, which had swelled to the size resembling an elephant’s leg. Upon further inquiry, she informedMui Ling of an episode in mid-2017 during which she suffered throbbing pain in her left leg and was prescribed topical medication by the doctor at a clinic. Instead of recovering, her leg swelled progressively to the extent that she was unable to walk and had to be sent to the hospital in an ambulance. She clearly recalls the diagnosis pronounced upon her after the operation: venous ulcers on the lower limb, resulting from malfunctioning valves in the veins that cause the pressure in The sewing machine is Thanaletchumi a/p Soosai’s pride and joy; tailoring outfits brings her satisfaction and offers refuge from pain and hardship.