Our story by The Star Online May 4 2009

Monday May 4, 2009

Kidney patient in need

By RACHEL LAU

PETALING JAYA: Patricia Lee Foong Yee has not only lost her eyesight due to kidney failure – she also suffers from partial loss of hearing and mobility.

Now, the 40-year-old will also lose financial assistance for her dialysis injections.

“I have been receiving help from a charity group for the past years, but this will cease to continue as the charity is short of funds during this downturn,” said wheelchair-bound Lee at Menara Star, here, recently.

Diagnosed with kidney failure when she was 26, Lee is now at the end stage of renal failure, preventing her from getting a job.

“I have been unemployed for the past 12 years. Who will employ me with my condition?” she asked, adding that her family comprised only of her 63-year-old mother, who is also unemployed as she has to look after Lee.

According to Lee, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) appealed to the Health Ministry for assistance on her behalf, but the ministry responded that she was not qualified to receive help as she was already getting a monthly pension from the Social Security Organisation (Socso).

“I have no one else to turn to. I get only RM370 a month from Socso, which is hardly enough,” she said.

Lee’s dialysis is covered by Socso, but she said the injections alone cost RM420 a month.

“Transport to and from NKF can also go up to RM250 each month,” she added.

Present during the interview was Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) deputy executive director Godfrey Ooi, who said that the Government should reconsider its policy of not providing financial assistance to Socso clients.

“Patients should not be disqualified just because they receive a Socso pension, which can be rather meagre,” he added.

Those interested in helping Lee can contact Ooi at 03-2272 2677 ext 127 or 016-6086365.

The article can be found at this URL http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/4/nation/3814999&sec=nation

Newspaper cutting from The Star newspaper, dated May 4, 2009

The article can be found at this URL http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/4/nation/3814999&sec=nation

Godfrey Ooi Goat See

Godfrey became totally blind at the age of Four due to a condition known as Retinopathy Prematurity. Born as a Seven-month old premature baby, he was given too much Oxygen in an incubator.

Early in his childhood, his parents had been separated from one another. His father, being just a poor coconut-husker, decided to leave Godfrey in a mission school for the blind in Penang. After his primary education, Godfrey joined an integrated programme in a normal secondary school. Then with an educational loan, he completed his studies at the University of Malaya.

After teaching in a Government school for five years, Godfrey decided to work in a grassroots organisation of the blind. Having worked for about six years with the Society of the Blind in Malaysia (SBM), he then joined the Malaysian Association for the Blind where he has been working for about Twenty years.

With very little savings and near retirement, Godfrey believes the Compassionate Scheme can help him and other blind friends to gain old age security income.

Eddy Chong Ted Hin

Eddy was enjoying a good career as Engineer and was raising a happy family. Unfortunately, he was struck down with Dengue Fever in 1997 which had caused him to become visually impaired and also partially deaf.

He turned to the Malaysian Association for the Blind for assistance and was equipped with rehabilitation and Massage skills. Subsequently, he decided to knock upon the doors of more than 80 companies but no one would give him a job. To make matters worse, he was deserted by his wife. Penniless and often without food or sustenance, Eddy attempted to commit suicide.

Fortunately, with the support of a sighted friend, Eddy regained courage and the will to live again. So he went back to MAB to try and do something useful for the blind community by serving on some of the committees.

Subsequently, he discovered the Compassionate Scheme and realised that he would be able to help many of the blind achieve their dreams of a steady income and a life of happiness and independence.

Chua Hui Kian

Chua was normal until her teens when she became blind. At the vocational centre for the blind, she was equipped with rehabilitation skills but she was not strong enough to be trained for Massage; moreover, she lacked fundamental literacy skills which were necessary for training in office work.

Thus, she left the centre in order to earn her living by selling tissue-paper. She got married to another blind tissue-seller and they had a baby girl. Being very poor, however, they had to leave the child in the care of an orphanage. Later on, she also has to leave her husband because of his abuse and beatings which had caused her severe head injuries and even some memory loss.

Feeling lonely, she followed another person to Singapore for sales. Unfortunately, this person did not much care about her and frequently let her bump into obstacles and fall into drains. She was also cheated of her money.

She believes that the Compassionate Scheme will help her find her own home some day so that her daughter can come back and live with her.

Wan Zainun bt. Wan Mohamad

Wan Zainun was born with cataracts in both eyes which ultimately caused her visual impairment. Then, in 1971 at the age of Fifteen, severe illness caused her to become totally deaf.

Although she did well in her studies, she had to content herself undergoing training as a Masseur after leaving school. Thus, her dreams of going to university were dashed.

Subsequently, she found employment with a private company as a Masseur. However, she often faced transport difficulties and she was exploited by her boss. Nonetheless, this did not stop the company from throwing her out in 1991 with the excuse that she was the one who had requested to leave.

Currently, Wan Zainun is unemployed and she does not have a house of her own. She longs to be able to do something useful and to possess her own dwelling place.

She hopes that with the Compassionate Scheme, her dreams will be fulfilled.

Choo Kim Yoon

Choo is blind and severely deaf. He lost his sight at the age of Three due to high fever. Another tragic illness at the age of Sixteen caused him to lose much of his hearing ability.

Currently, he is staying with his mother in Salak South but he feels lonely and he is not able to lead an independent life. He longs to move to Brickfields where he will be near friends because many of the blind live or work here. At the same time, he will be able to use his communicational and computer skills to lead a more normal social life.

Choo believes the Compassionate Scheme can help him to realise his dreams.

Louis Prem Kumar

Louis lost his sight at the age of Seven and became partially deaf at Fourteen. After leaving school, he was trained as a Masseur and has been working in Hotel Sri Muda, Klang since 1996. He earns only a small income of about RM800 per month.

He feels lonely in the workplace because no one knows how to communicate with him. Moreover, the workers often bully him such as giving him the wrong kind of food or drink and sometimes they even put sand in his food.

Louis longs to be able to help himself and other deaf-blind persons to have a successful career and to lead a normal life. He would like to able to organize and take part in meaningful activities such as educational excursions. He cherishes the hope of having a loving wife and to raise a happy family. To do all this, Louis needs adaptive equipment and technology which as rather expensive/

Louis believes the Compassionate Scheme can help him fulfill his vision and dreams.

Patricia Lee Foong Yee

Patricia was normal until the age of 22. She suffered from Acute Diabetes which resulted in Renal Failure, total blindness, partial deafness and loss of mobility. This caused her to be house-bound for about 15 years.

She has to undergo Dialysis treatment three times a week and this is only subsidized by SOCSO. She also has to spend money on transport to the Dialysis centre and pay for the injections plus other medical requirements. Without the injections, she faces a very bleak future of deteriorating health and she will ultimately face death.

Patricia is full of anxiety because her medical and miscellaneous expenses come up to about RM1,000 per month. Yet she is unemployed and she is dependent upon her mother who is also not working.

Fortunately, Patricia has discovered the Compassionate Scheme. She believes it could help her to earn sufficient income and to fulfill all her dreams.