After reading this story of Ah Fook, I feel very bad.
Disabled and lonely even at CNY
PETALING JAYA: Chinese New Year is a time to be with family and friends, but not for Ah Fook.
The keropok seller, who suffers from speaking and motor disability, recently lost his last living relative — his father.
We found him sitting on the steps in one of the buildings here with visible scabs, the result of numerous falls over the years, all over his legs.
"I've seen him here everyday for the past 10 years," said 61-year-old Sea Park resident Stanley.
"Due to his disability, he takes almost two hours everyday to walk here from where he stays. He falls a lot in the process."
Ah Fook relies mainly on the goodwill of others to get by. Several kind passers-by stopped to give him food or ang pow.
"Some people think he is a drug addict, and refuse to help him or even look at him," said Stanley.
Ah Fook nodded when asked if the government is providing him with aid. He gets RM300 a month but the payments are irregular.
The lonely man was emotional when asked what he wanted most for Chinese New Year.
He was silent for a while, then said he spent his Chinese New Year alone like every year — even when his father was alive.
Motor disabilities are those that affect a person's ability to learn motor tasks (moving and manipulating objects) such as walking, running, skipping, tying shoes, crawling, sitting, handwriting, and others.
Source: The Star
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