An accident caused Daren (pseudonym) and his family to experience the closing of a door of opportunity; more unexpected challenges and pressure followed after this. As usual, 60-year-old Daren drove his beloved car away to fetch customers. As he was driving, he suddenly felt stiff and numb on the left side of his body. Although he was panicked, he still managed to stop his car at the roadside. With the help of others, he was admitted to the hospital immediately. After being diagnosed by a doctor, he was told that he had an acute stroke and bleeding inside his brain. An emergency operation had to be carried out, and it took 10 hours to bring him back to life. However, he can no longer enjoy his life like before, because he ended up paralysed, which is a fact that he cannot escape. 

Daren was the main breadwinner of his family; his wife is a tailor, but she has no stable income as manual tailoring clothes are no longer as in demand as they once were. With her husband’s tragic incident and loss of income, the family became chaotic and dispirited. Thankfully, during the hardest time, his eldest brother helped them by giving some money, milk powder and diapers; it was not much, but manageable.

Unfortunately, things turned from bad to worse when his eldest brother could not work due to old age. Hence, he could not cover Daren’s household expenses for milk and diapers. Added to this, the initial aid from a government agency on milk powder also stopped because their aid quota is already full. This double blow was too much to bear for his wife; she became very anxious about their livelihood and unsure how to handle it. During this most helpless time, the 7979 Holistic Care Station of Calvary Charismatic Centre at Tanjung Aru became their important support and companion. 

A volunteer at the Care Station was very close to Daren and his family. Once the volunteer was aware of their situation, she immediately arranged for a house visit to enquire more about their condition, so that they could proceed to apply for the “7979 Crisis Intervention Fund” to provide timely assistance. Simultaneously, the volunteer also applied for 7979 Manna Food Bank aid on their behalf to relieve their burden by continuing the supply of milk powder and diapers. Daren’s wife would always express her deep gratitude every time they paid a visit to them. After numerous sessions of informal counselling, the volunteer could feel her changes and improvement; she became stronger and more positive towards life.     

There is a western idiom that perfectly describes their encounters, that is, “When God closes a door, he will open a window.” Although Daren’s family encountered challenges one after another, help or assistance would always appear at their most difficult time; seemingly, a window was being opened quietly for them. Their family experiences affirmed their belief that in every difficult time, they are not alone; there will always be someone willing to accompany and walk with them step by step out of sorrow and continue their lives.

Maybe, this is the beauty of life.