The Life Of Azhar Bin Ab.Jalal
My experience making home visits to cancer patients have taken me to the lengths and breadths of Malaysia, plying small towns that one would not expect visit in the normal course of your life.
Such was the case on 22 September 2007, when my colleague and I called upon Azhar Abd Jalal in Bukit Lintang, Melaka. The house he occupied was modest and lacked a lot of basic facilities. Azhar who is 49 years, is a retired army officer who suffers from cancer of the colon and liver (Ca Rectosigmoid). He recounted to us that he had successfully undergone an operation to remove part of his colon. This was then followed by a course of chemo and radiotherapy. Thinking that he was well on his way to recovery, his hopes were dashed when the doctors detected cancer cells in his liver. He had to endure another operation to remove about 4 millimetres of his liver. He now needs to go for yet another round of chemotherapy and to make matters worse, he now depends on the use of a colostomy bag.
MAKNA officer (extreme left) with Azhar and his children
Azhar lamented on his difficult life which not only included his struggle to overcome his affliction with cancer but also the fact that he has to support 5 school going children. Three are categorised as handicapped, because of problems with their sight. They are, Asmarizadah, 20, who is studying in Universiti Malaya and who has to use special glasses during lectures and studying. Siti Nabilah, 17 and Ahmad Zamil, 15 are also sight impaired. The two other children, Ani Radia, 14 and Afiq Taqif, 5, have normal sight. Every month Azhar has to divide the meager income from his own monthly pension of RM960 and his wife’s earnings at the nearby night market, for his family’s expenses, rent, and his children’s school expenses. This also included his travel cost to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital and Selayang Hospital for treatments plus the purchase of his colostomy bags. Making the ringgit stretch was a daily struggle and he can now breathe a sigh of relief with MAKNA’s financial assistance under the Bursary Programme.
During the course of our conversation, Azhar kept thanking us profusely for this monetary assistance. With his mind constantly not worrying about money, he can now concentrate on conquering the trials that God has imposed on him. Despite all these hurdles, Azhar has vowed that he will do all within his power to ensure a good education for his children. With his selfless words ringing in our minds, we humbly shook his frail hand on parting.
Azhar bin Ab. Jalal
Before we left the historical state of Melaka, we took the opportunity to call on his wife at the nearby Ramadhan bazaar who was diligently attending to customers at their stall in order to earn some money during the fasting month. Even their children played their part and helped as much as they could. It was heart warming to witness a family with such unity in the face of adversity.
Azhar manning his stall at the Ramadan Bazaar.
Disediakan oleh/written by : Mohd Pairy Bin Basri (MAKNA staff)
