Recently, a report about a young adolescent boy from Melaka has caught the attention of Malaysians because of his current health status.
Mahathir Mohammad, 13, used to drink sodas on a daily basis ever since he was younger, and now, he has been suffering from chronic diabetes for the past five years.
The young boy’s health was so bad at one point that he has had to drop out of school, and even missed out on sitting for his UPSR examinations last year.
“I loved drinking carbonated drinks ever since I was little. There was a convenience store near my house that I would buy these drinks from every day. However, I had no idea this would happen to me a few years later,” Mahathir told Sinar Harian.
Source: Nuffield Dept of Primary Care
“In the beginning, I just had a small wound at the sole of my foot, but then, my foot kept getting more and more swollen and infected. It then began oozing pus and started to smell.”
Mahathir’s mother, 44-year-old Zaliha Mohd Zabidi, told the daily that when the boy was just 12 years old, both of his legs were almost amputated because doctors wanted to prevent severe infections from occurring.
“When the doctor told us about wanting to amputate his legs, I did not want to see my poor son, who was born normally, lose his legs.”
“That was when I looked for other options to help my son recover. Thankfully, I found another doctor who managed to treat him properly, so his legs were not amputated in the end. We still bring Mahathir to this doctor for follow-up treatments.”
Although her son was able to get proper treatment and had his legs saved, his movement became limited ever since and can only crawl slowly around his house. The place where his wound used to be still has frequent discharge even to this day.
Source: Sinar Harian
“If we have any event outside of the house, or if we need to take him to the clinic, he needs a wheelchair or special shoes,” his mother told the daily.
“I want Mahathir to make a full recovery so he can go back to school with his friends.”
The poor child’s predicament has since garnered the attention of Amir Hamzah Aziz, the director of Barisan Nasional’s service centre and Serkam district’s adun, Datuk Zaidi Atan.
The service centre’s director told the daily that Mahathir needs to have proper support in order to become a functioning member of society who can be able to help his family in the future.
“We’re grateful to the Melaka Islamic Religious Council (Maim), who donated a wheelchair to the family and also the District Education Office (PPD), who allowed Mahathir to sit for his UPSR examinations next year,” Amir Hamzah told Sinar Harian.
“Now, this family is waiting for a People with Disabilities (OKU) allowance from the Community Welfare Department (JKM) as well as a special shoe donation. We hope these organisations cooperate to help make this teenager’s life easier.”
Despite the hardships Mahathir and his family have faced, we’re glad they are getting the help they deserve.
Also read: Man Who Drank 6 Sodas a Day Had Diabetes at 21, Now Amputated & Has Kidney Failure
