Dont judge Firdaus mother

Another woman shares her experience of raising a special needs daughter and says Malaysia should learn from other countries.

COMMENT

Many people were horrified when they read about the neglect of 15-year-old Muhammad Firdaus Dullah, who has cerebral palsy. Even the Prime Minister has joined the ordinary man in the street in condemning the neglect, and accusations have been heaped upon Firdauss mother, his former nanny and the government.

Malaysians show concern for the less privileged, the disabled or the poor only when the media feature stories about them. The rest of the time, these people are invisible to them.

FMT recently spoke to Zahriah Mohd Faiz, a mother of six young children, the oldest of whom has cerebral palsy. She spoke of the challenges she and her husband face in bringing up 15-year-old Balqis.

Reading about Firdaus was devastating for Zahriah, who recalled the years of worry and hardship she went through before finally coming to terms with raising a child with special needs.

Looking after a special needs child is expensive because of the equipment, treatment and diet. According to Zahriah, faith is the most important aid to survival, which includes keeping ones sanity.

She said: Have faith that your special childs condition will improve. If not, have faith that the reward might not be now, in this world, but surely in the hereafter. Only faith keeps one going forward.

Zahriah hadnt heard of cerebral palsy before Balqis was diagnosed with the condition. She said: I cant give reasons for the actions of Firdaus mother, but I can imagine the emotional, physical and financial turmoil and the test of her iman (faith).

Zahriah empathises with Firdaus mother and the difficulty of raising a son without a husbands support, the demands on her energy and the feeling of isolation. Unless we really know what happened, we should reserve our judgement of the mother, she said, adding that she was appalled at the public criticism.

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Dont judge Firdaus mother