Acid victim aces exams

Tan Hui Linn (left) with her exam results

In October 2009, I came across a news report about a teenager who had acid splashed on her face by her father.

Tan Hui Linn (above) was the victim of a vicious acid attack. She and her mom were asleep at home when they were splashed with acid. Hui Linn suffered 60% burns on her face and upper torso. Her 50-year-old mom was badly burnt and died 10 hours later.

After undergoing several operations to restore her sight, Hui Linn’s doctor declared her legally blind in her right eye.

Hui Linn made the news again last week when she scored 9As and 1B in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exam despite having blurred vision while preparing for it.

Her principal, Cheng Lye Sen was full of praise for her achievement.  She told the press, “Hui Linn’s determination is admirable and she is a role model for all our students here.”

The feisty teenager plans to take up Accountancy or Psychology in university after completing high school.

A true story of triumph of the spirit.

Adelia’s Report

This is a follow-up to my recent post on the death of 2-month-old Adelia.

I’ve just received the medical report from Adelia’s father, Nizzam. The report details Adelia’s final 15 minutes, in which no fewer than six doctors attempted unsuccessfully to resuscitate her.

The cause of death – Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Click the image below to enlarge the report.

Parents seek justice for baby’s death

This story began on Sunday when I commented on a story about a 2 month-old baby who allegedly choked to death after drinking milk.

I decided to get involved when the baby’s father responded to my comment and revealed certain facts surrounding her death.

Baby Adelia

Her name was Adelia. On the morning of 16 March, baby Adelia was placed in the care of a nursery in Sek 10, Shah Alam while her parents, Muhammad Nizzam and Fariza went shopping for her clothes.

That was the last time they saw her alive.

At 11:36am, Nizzam received a phone call from the nursery informing him that Adelia was motionless. and was being sent to a nearby hospital.

Interestingly, it took the nursery staff a long time to get Adelia to the hospital. Nizzam, who was miles away arrived at the hospital before they did. Adelia later died at the hospital.

Doctors attending to Adelia told Nizzam that she could have been saved if she had been brought to the hospital earlier.

Baby Adelia and her sister

While there is no evidence that the nursery was responsible Adelia’s death, there are more questions than answers.

What kind of nursery is this, if there is no staff trained in first aid?

Why did they take so long to get Adelia to the hospital? Were they too busy to notice that a 2-month-old baby had choked?

How can the nursery take in a baby when it appears that no one has a clue about how to feed babies? Surely, Adelia would not have choked if she was properly fed and attended to.

What bothers me is the attitude the owner of the nursery towards Nizzam and his wife after the tragedy. According to Nizzam, no one communicated with him until after he posted a comment on the nursery’s Facebook page.

That comment was later deleted. Luckily, Nizzam took a screen capture of his post. Click the image below to enlarge.

The nursery's Facebook page

All Nizzam and his family want now is justice for their Adelia. I hope that by sharing Adelia’s story, someone will come forward with information that will offer Nizzam a sense of closure.

Meanwhile, parents should be aware of the kind of business the nursery in question operates. Are these people in whose care you would place your loved ones?

Please share this with someone you care about. If you want specific information relating to the nursery and Adelia, feel free to leave a comment and I’m sure Nizzam will respond.

To Nizzam and family, nothing can bring Adelia back, but I pray that the precious moments she shared with you will be memories you will treasure forever.

I appreciate you.

A father’s love

Ah, finally it’s the weekend again! I can’t say it enough – I love weekends!

I’m just not a fan of the rat race. Speaking of races, here’s a video I found on Facebook today. It features the Ironman race, which to many is the toughest triathlon in the world.

Competitors have to swim 2.4-miles, bike 112-miles and a run a marathon (26.2 miles), without any official breaks. This video is not about the race itself, but is a story of one man’s love for his son.

This is the story of Dick Hoyt and his son Rick, who was diagnosed at birth as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. He could not speak or walk. Later, with the use of a specially designed computer, Rick could communicate.

In the spring of 1977, when Rick was 15, he asked to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Dick pushed rick in his wheelchair and they finished the run.

Although they came in next to last, that night Rick told his father, “Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped.”

Dick & Rick Hoyt at the Boston Marathon

That was the beginning of an inspiring story. Together, they have completed over 1,000 races, ranging from short races to the marathon and the triathlon. Their 1,000th race was the 2009 Boston Marathon.

I invite you to take a brief journey with Dick Hoyt and Rick, now 49, as they complete the Ironman. Words cannot express the relationship that they have. You’ll have to experience it yourself.

When asked, if he could give his father one thing, what would it be? Rick responded, “The thing I’d most like is for my dad to sit in the chair and I would push him for once.”

All I can say is, “Rick, you have pushed me to a new level, just by being you.”

I appreciate you.