Resolute Taibah Eats Yam
Imagine having boiled coco yam and salted fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily! Not a meal palatable to many. That is what 66-year-old Taibah Shahudin eats for as long as she can remember. Ipoh Echo traced this gritty grandmother to her run-down house in Kampong Rapat recently.
Alerted by villagers of a destitute woman and her mentally challenged son living in a dilapidated house, we found Taibah after a short walk through a narrow kampong path guided by one eager youngster.
Taibah had sought psychiatric treatment at Hospital Bahagia in Tanjong Rambutan once. She was mentally and physically abused by her son-in-law and suffered a serious nervous breakdown as a result. Her son, Zawil Azhar, too, suffers from depression and was treated at the same hospital. Although discharged, Zawil has not fully recovered and requires constant attention. Taibah offers what little comfort she can to her ailing son. She gets financial aid from the state welfare services department but her youngest son, who is unemployed, steals it from her.
Taibah’s problem does not end there. Her abusive son-in-law would take all edible items donated to her by well-wishers. She considers her misfortunes as fate and surrenders herself to the Almighty. “Let them take my money and food. My children need to be fed. Allah is my Saviour”, she remarked when asked.
The unattended back portion of her house, of late, has turned into a den for drug addicts. The misfits would congregate at her house to have their daily fix. “They even pinched the food I cooked”, she lamented. There was electricity supply in her house once but her unwelcomed visitors had stolen the wires.
Baitumal has built Taibah a house under its hardcore-poor programme. But she is reluctant to move into her new home as she prefers to live in her present house, which belongs to her late grandmother. She plans to give the house to her youngest son as he needs it more than her.
“I don’t expect much from my children. For their sake, I’m prepared to eat yam”, she said while pointing to the yam patch nearby. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
Taibah is among the many lost souls in Ipoh who require our assistance to see her through. Those wishing to help can call Puan Ehsan at 05-3127866 and 016-5279759 or Puan Imah at 013-4180116 for details.
RMR
Category: Community
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Tears well up in my eyes when I read this story. I would never ever treat my own mother this way. I would like to help her but HOW can I/we help her when the material help that I/we can give will be taken away by her useless son?