[PHOTOS] This 80-Year-Old Penangite Suffering With Elephantiasis Has A Heart Of Gold
Recently, Syed Azmi and his friend Shirin Aziha teamed up to help out an octogenarian, suffering from elephantiasis, who has been living alone in George Town, Penang. They inspired not just the good people of Malaysia but outsiders too.
Cover image via Shirin Aziha
This is Lim Kim Sung. Aged 80, he is suffering from lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) on his left leg and arthritis on both legs.
Image via Syed Azmi
Lim, fondly known as Uncle Ah San, lost his ability to stand and walk back in the year 2011. He has no children and his wife passed away on 22 December 2012.
Since then, Lim's daily routine consists of him taking two half-boiled eggs for breakfast before hopping onto his wheelchair and slowly making his way to the Penang Hospital, reports The Star Online.
He crosses the busy Jalan Air Itam-Jalan Datuk Keramat junction from his rented house in Jalan Gopeng and travel about 600m to the hospital for daily dressing
Lim's been staying in Jalan Gopeng since his late mother rented the house in 1950s, and he has been renting at the same house since
Image via The Malaysian Insider
Once a vegetable seller and a coffee shop helper, Lim now survives on his monthly RM300 aid from the Welfare Department. According to The Star, uncle Ah San also collects and sells recyclable materials to make ends meet and pay his house monthly rental of RM220.
Uncle Ah San may be struggling with life, making ends meet while suffering from elephantiasis, but the octogenarian has a heart of gold. He shares the little he has to help the less fortunate. He has extended his hospitality to a Vietnamese cleaner who works at the general hospital and lets her stay at his house on the upper floor.
Lim's condition was brought to public attention by his ex-neighbour Shirin Aziha, who recently teamed up with social activist Syed Azmi to urge Malaysians on social media to help make his life easier.
In this FB post, dated 12 June, Azmi together with Shirin asked people to donate to their crowdfunding mission to raise RM8,000.
They said the money will be used to buy items like a remote-controlled electric bed, a commode chair, groceries, medications for the dressing of his wound, along with it they would also hire a part-time maid and a private nurse for his daily wound dressing.
The Facebook post quickly went viral. As of writing this story, the post has 3,148 Likes and has received over 3,200 shares. It even caught the attention of social activist Marina Mahathir, and she too has shared it.
Speaking to The Star, Shirin said that, "Those who donated were not just Malaysians, but from around the world. Within 24 hours, RM8,000 had poured in. I had this need to help him, especially after his wife passed away. He is now alone. I used to give him money whenever I visit him but I want to do more.
"The funds will also be used to pay for a hired private nurse who will change his dressing daily, prepare meals for him, and assist with some chores," she added.
Shirin Aziha (second from left) says they hit their target within 24 hours after posting Lim Kim Sung's (seated) story on Facebook. Kind netizens have also been visiting Lim's house.
Image via The Malaysian Insider
The Mandarin and Hokkien-speaking nurses who will be on duty at Uncle's house to assist with his wound dressing and other household chores on daily basis.
Image via Shirin Aziha
On 15 June, Penang Hospital Visitors Board chairman Lim Thoon Deong visited uncle Ah San at his place. He said he would help him apply for assistance from the Penang MCA Medical Aid Fund.
Thoon Deong taking a look at Kim Sung's filariasis-infected leg outside the elderly man's rented house in Jalan Gopeng.
Image via The Star
