The world of Tzu Chi October 2020 (Vol.127)

2020 • 10 44 By Chan Shi Yih Translated by Lee Hui Yieng Photographs by How Siew Heok ouching Life Story Tzu Chi volunteers have committed to always care for Subarminium and his family. In over ten years, the volunteers have become treasured family members to the couple. A Journey of Love S anthyee Mathyee a/p Subramaniam started working at the age of 21. While her earnings were meagre, she was good at managing money. She saved and invested in gold. At the age of 38, she married Subarminium a/l Rajalingam who was ten years older. Two years after their marriage, his health suffered a major setback. Subarminium was a civil engineer. At 29, he started his own business as a construction contractor. Young and arrogant, he pursued a hedonistic lifestyle. Diagnosed with diabetes at 35, he continued to ignore the warning bells. Fifteen years passed and one day at age 50, while at work in Johor, he had acute urinary retention and a sudden swelling in his body caused him to feel extreme exhaustion. Concerned friends sent him back to a hospital in Kuala Lumpur where he was diagnosed with kidney failure and required haemodialysis. He was devastated and his life took a turn for the worse overnight. To pay for his long-term medical expenses, Santhyee withdrew her Employees Provident Fund as well as her savings and even pawned her hard-earned gold. She said, “I told myself never mind the gold, I can always buy it back. This is God’s assignment for me. I