Let’s discard the “plastic hearts” in us

4 October 2006

The festive season is around again. Our Muslim and Hindu friends have begun preparing for celebrating their Hari Raya and Deepavalli respectively.Soon there will the Christians and the Chinese with their Christmas and Chinese New year. There is much excitement and joy in preparing for these festivals,

A large amount of money is spent on food, clothing and home decorations. Many of us buy new cars and houses during this time In fact many spend more than their means and end up in debts after the festivities.

With our preoccupation with celebrating our festivals, we forget the less fortunate among us. Many of them are in agony and awaiting death to separate them from their loved ones forever.

This true story may be of help to remind us of these unfortunate people around us and make us reflect on how we should celebrate our own festivals and successes in life.

Mr.Z (not his real name) is a 36 year old unskilled worker from Bangladesh. He has been employed in the same company for the last 8 years. He is now paid a basic salary of RM500 a month and if he works hard enough he could take home just over RM1000 after all his overtime claims. He sends most of his earnings back home for his wife and son.

For the last 5 months he has been unwell, seeking treatment at various government hospitals. He now presented with acute complications and has been found to have advanced colon cancer which has spread all over. Surgery is not possible and all that can be done is to palliate his symptoms. He just has a few months to live.

On realizing that he has been inflicted with a deadly disease, he broke down and cried incessantly, saying “Please send me back to Bangladesh. I want to see my wife and son”.

He continued to weep, saying repeatedly “ I don’t want to work, I don’t want the money, I just want to see my wife and son. Please send me back”.

It was a pathetic state watching the young man crying bitterly over his totally wrecked life. Money and wealth did not matter to him anymore. All he wanted was to be united with his loved ones. Only that would bring him solace in the remaining days of his life.

According to Z, during his eight-year tenure, he went back to Bangladesh just once three years ago to get married. After just 2 weeks with his wife, he left her to return to Malaysia to continue with his job. His repeated requests for leave to visit his wife in subsequent years were rejected by his manager, whom he described as a “man with a plastic heart”, because according to him, the boss was devoid of any feelings of compassion for the workers. Even when his son was born he was not allowed to return home for a short visit. His son is now 2 years old and Z has yet to see him.

Little does he know that soon he is going back to his son for the first and last time in his life? His young wife too had just spent 2 weeks with him soon after their marriage. In a matter of months he will have to bid them the final farewell.

All we could do is to send him back to spend his final days of his life with his loved ones. This we managed to do with the help of his concerned new superior officer. Z touched me by his gesture to come to bid farewell to me on the eve of his departure. As I shook his hands to wish him luck, I felt sad as I know I will never see him again.As a doctor I stand helpless to watch this young man slowly dying as the cancer takes its course. How I wish I could cure him of his illness. All I could do is to heal his soul of pain and agony. Not everyone can die cured but at least we can let them die healed. That was exactly what I tried to do.

It is very pitiful that many of us, also contribute to this inhumane treatment of fellow men. There are many Z’s in our midst. It is our “plastic hearts” that have caused so much agony to them. We often acclaim Malaysians are kind and generous, but in actual fact are we? All of us possess this “plastic heart” at some time in our lives.

As we prepare to celebrate our festivities let us discard these “plastic hearts” of ours and try to cultivate some compassion for fellow men, irrespective of race or creed.

As for Z, we hope and pray that God will grant him peace in love during his final days.

Dr.Chris Anthony