Before the tragedy strikes the family, the husband, Lim Meng Hin, and his wife, Kho Hui Ping, sell Jawa Mee at a coffee shop in Raja Uda, Butterworth. They have a four-year-old son and are expecting a newborn soon.

However, 40-year-old Meng Hin, who used to be healthy, had a sudden epileptic seizure in early February. He lost consciousness during treatment at the hospital and was paralysed for almost a month. His 30-year-old pregnant wife needed to care for him and their elder son. The tragedy overwhelmed her, and she felt exhausted.

Since then, their eldest son could not go to the kindergarten. He followed his mother to the stall and relied on food provided by other hawkers. After they returned home from business, the family would eat instant noodles as dinner. The pregnant mother was stressed and exhausted. After reviewing the case, One Hope Charity decided to support the family’s living expenses, medical fees, the son’s education expenditure, the wife’s labour and confinement fees and the costs for the newborn to tide over the difficulties temporarily.

【Hui Ping is now pregnant for five months. She was distraught and helpless seeing her husband’s sudden paralysis and unconsciousness. She couldn’t see the lights at the end of the tunnel, so she planned to go for an abortion. Fortunately, encouragement from her friends managed to change her mind】

Meng Hin, from Seberang Jaya in Butterworth, had a sudden seizure on the evening of 11 February. After being sent to the hospital, the doctor said he had a blood-bacterial infection. At that time, he was in a semi-comatose state and was intubated at one point as his life was at stake. Her pregnant wife, Hui Ping, was worried about her husband’s condition and her family’s livelihood. She was also helpless as there were too many uncertainties about the future of her unborn child.

After her husband fell ill, Hui Ping could not run her business as she had to care for her husband. The family later exhausted their savings and fell into financial difficulties due to areas of the car and mortgage loans. She didn’t even have enough money to buy ingredients for her business, so she had to borrow from her friends to purchase ingredients to run her noodles stall. And now, she is running the stall alone, earning about RM2,000 a month. Her estimated due date will be at the end of July or early August, but she cannot carry heavy loads as her placenta is prolapsed.

As for Meng Hin, he was treated in the intensive care unit for nearly a month, but the doctor could not find the root cause, so the doctor sent the blood samples abroad for testing. Hui Ping borrowed money from her friends to pay for the testing. At that time, the husband’s red blood cell, platelet and white blood cell counts were low, and his two kidneys were not functional. The doctor arranged for dialysis, but the cause of the disease was unknown.

Meng Hin was transferred to the general ward almost a month after stabilising his condition. However, he was slurred due to brain hypoxia. After receiving treatment, the doctor discharged him, but he could not care for himself and needed special care. And now, his condition is getting better, but his body is still out of balance, so he needs to rely on a walker with help from others. He also needs regular physiotherapy, and the doctor told him not to drive for a year.

A man, who was supposed to be the head of his family, suddenly became a person who was unable to take care of himself and needed special care. He felt incompetent and even thought of suicide. Fortunately, he remembered his wife, son and unborn baby, so he dispelled the idea of suicide. He hopes to recover as soon as possible and fulfil his responsibilities as a husband and father to care for his family.

The couple used to sell Jawa Mee in the morning, and the husband would continue selling noodles at night. At that time, the couple would make slightly over RM4,000 a month. But now, only Hui Ping is working, so the family’s income has been reduced to half. In addition, she is about to give birth, and the family will have no income during her confinement. Thinking about the financial constraints, they approached One Hope Charity for help.

After reviewing the case following a home visit, One Hope Charity decided to help Kho Hui Ping and her family. The family agreed to fully authorise One Hope Charity to take charge of the fundraising and collect donations from the well-wishers on their behalf. Call One Hope Charity’s hotline at 04-539 9212, 016-419 2192, 019-232 2192 or 018-911 4192 if you have questions.