At 6 a.m. the city came to life with the soft morning glow creeping in at dawn, Zhi Peng (Pseudonym) dragging his aching and tired body out of bed and went to the kitchen to make a cup of milk for his mother, then went out to buy breakfast for his father. He would start to do house chores after settling his parents’ breakfast. When all these were done, he hurriedly went to work, grabbing two slices of bread for breakfast nearby his workplace and began another hectic day. Every month, he used up all his money on his parents, paying rent, buying expensive milk and disposable diapers, etc. He is the only child and the sole breadwinner. He is aware that everything in this household will collapse without him. Whenever this came to mind, he would feel the tremendous pressure on his shoulders, and sighed “What is the purpose for me to live on?”  

LIFE DRASTIC CHANGE

Zhi Peng, who is in his forties, used to live alone in Penang after he shifted from Kuala Lumpur before living with his parents. He rented a room in an apartment in Penang and lived a hassle-free life without worrying about meals. As a responsible delivery man, he would transport goods to designated destinations with his car every morning. Although his salary was not high, he could still have some savings as he is a humble and simple man. His only wish was to live a peaceful life, with occasional extravagance on food or things to reward himself.  

However, this peaceful and stable life changed drastically, when heavy responsibilities fell upon his shoulder. In 2022, his parents’ health suddenly deteriorated, his father became physically impaired due to a stroke and his mother was diagnosed with alzheimer.  They are no longer capable of managing themselves. Therefore, his parents had to move to Penang to live with him in another room he rented for them. With this addition, Zhi Peng had to carry the pressure of their livelihood and financial burden alone. Not only did his expenses increase, but he also had to live with them to take care of their meals and living conditions. Besides his full-time job, he has to take up part-time jobs to cover their extra expenses. Thankfully, his landlord did not collect the rent for the additional room, and it was a great relief for him. He also received RM500 of allowance from the Ministry of Social Welfare for taking care of OKU parents. Nevertheless, Zhi Peng still has to live on a tight budget, trying to make ends meet by working tirelessly, and the burdens of taking care of his parents had affected him physically and emotionally.

Pr. Lim Lang Huang is the 7979 Holistic Care Station’s Volunteer Manager of Butterworth Life Baptist Church, who is in-charge of caring for the underprivileged in their community. She visited Zhi Peng immediately upon HQ 7979’s referral. When Pr. Lim Lang Huang came to understand his condition, she decided to apply for 7979 Manna Food bag to relieve some burden off his shoulder. After a long-term caring and accompanying, Pr. Lim Lang Huang discovered that Zhi Peng’s problems were not limited to lack of food but also his emotional condition as he is constantly under tremendous pressure. So Pr. Lim Lang Huang always sent short messages to greet and check-up on him. Consequently, Zhi Peng slowly gained motivation to live, he planned to use his savings to buy a unit of Rumah Mampu Milik jointly launched by the Penang government and corporates. Their condition seems to improve gradually… 

ANOTHER BLOW

Another blow hit Zhi Peng’s slowly gained motivated life. His mother, who is in her eighties, initially still capable of consuming normal meals, hurt her spine after she fell out of her bed. Thus she can no longer take solid food, but has to consume nutritional milk that goes into her stomach through a tube inserted through her nasal passage. To ensure sufficient nutrient intake, the medical personnel suggested she drink a particular brand of nutritional milk. Besides this, the doctor also advised that Zhi Peng’s mother should purchase a spine-friendly nursing bed. However, it was too costly for Zhi Peng, so he had to forgo that option. The savings that he initially kept for purchasing a new house depleted quickly due to his mother’s worsening condition and massive expenses. At that moment, Zhi Peng felt that the dream and little motivation that he slowly built up became meaningless. 

“I’ve worked so hard for so long, yet I still can’t see the way out.” Zhi Peng who had been taking care of his parents alone for a long time, slowly developed many negative thoughts, such as “I take care of them, but who is going to take care of me?” He felt lonely and unbearable… Every month, he would advance a sum not more than RM3000 of his salary to pay rental and utility fees, then buy things such as diapers, nutritional milk, father’s meal and so on.  There was once when his car broke down, it needed a long-term massive repair, but his job required a car to transport goods, so he turned out renting a car to transport goods. Zhi Peng did confess to Pr. Lim Lang Huang that he couldn’t see the purpose for him to live on, he even had suicidal thoughts. Nevertheless, he continued to serve his parents relentlessly, even though he was so tired, while worrying that if he fell sick, then nobody could take care of his parents, so he carried painkillers with him at all times. 

The pressure of life has taken a toll on Zhi Peng, his brain was overwhelmed with negative thoughts, he did not have anyone to pour out to, until he shared it with Pr. Lim Lang Huang. She patiently listened to him pouring out his thoughts with tears rolling down his cheeks. As Zhi Peng wiped off the tears, he felt relief that at last someone heard his sorrow, his shoulder immediately felt lighter, and a long gone smile reemerged from his face. Later, the Care Station applied to 7979 Family Crisis Intervention Fund for aid on behalf of Zhi Peng. January of 2025, Zhi Peng went to the Care Station to collect the money, it was not a lot, but he could use it to pay the rent, it gave him some moment of relief. People that helped Zhi Peng were not limited to Pr. Lim. At the beginning of 2025, other volunteers at the Care Station also extended their hands to him. Zhi Peng’s mother was also selected to receive 4 packs of “Metabolic Basic” milk powder every month, which nutritionists and food therapists of Alpro Pharmacy prepared. Finally, the pressure of a son’s duty became lighter.