KUALA LUMPUR: Legendary composer and songwriter Datuk Ooi Eow Jin needs your help. The iconic RTM Orchestra "piano man" has been suffering from Alzheimer's Disease since 2015 and is at a nursing home in Petaling Jaya.
The 80-year-old musician's condition has deteriorated, forcing his wife Datin Elaine Khaw to sell kuih kapit for his treatment.
"It's difficult for him to move around as his legs are weak. He also suffers from diabetes and needs constant supervision," said Khaw when interviewed today.
Khaw, 78, was encouraged to sell kuih kapit by friends, and has sold more than 200 tins of the biscuit which is a Chinese New Year delicacy.
"The kuih kapit is RM20 per tin and I also sell taufu crispies at RM18 per packet. For every tin, I earn RM2," she said.
Khaw, who used to look after Ooi is caring for their 53-year-old son Chin Seng who has a brain tumour.
She has a maid caring for Chin Seng during the day, and watches over him at night.
"To care for Ooi and Chin Seng, I've turned our living room into a bedroom," she said.
Friends and neighbours, as well as Ooi's former colleagues in RTM and TV3 held two charity concerts in 2015 to raise funds.
Last November, playwright Kee Thuan Chye staged Swordfish And Concubine at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPaC) to help Ooi.
Actor Patrick Teoh has also visited the composer and donated necessities and cash.
A non-governmental organisation SeniorsAloud is currently contributing towards Ooi's nursing home fees.
Ooi's illustrious career spanned four decades beginning in the 1960s.
He wrote and composed Malay songs and collaborated with entertainers like Tan Sri P Ramlee and Datuk Sudirman Arshad, besides lecturing at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and the International College Of Music (ICOM).
His last job was resident pianist in Majestic Hotel. He spent five years there, until the illness forced him to stop playing in 2015.
The public can assist Khaw with funds and necessities by banking into Khaw Lean Lee, Maybank Account 1626 8302 3797.
They can purchase kuih kapit by calling 018-234 5133. The biscuits can be collected from 20, Jalan SS23/35, Taman SEA, Petaling Jaya.