KULIM: Since the age of 10, Nur Farahiyah Masyitah Norisam, now 18, has been making cakes and selling them to her neighbours in Taman Lagenda, Padang Serai near here.
She did this to help her family financially, as both her parents and two sisters suffer from chronic illnesses.
The second child of the six siblings had to shoulder big responsibilities from a young age, but this did not deter her from furthering her studies at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Merbok, Kedah in the Diploma in Management and Office Technology programme.
Upon receiving her letter of admission, Farahiyah decided to work as a production operator in a factory for two months to raise money to pay fees and also purchase necessities when registering at UiTM next month.
Despite only being able to raise enough money for her fees and basic necessities, she is focusing her attention on her tertiary studies as she believes that this will lift her and her family out their current hardships.
"If I had a choice, I would stay. I am reluctant to leave my mother and father at home because of their health problems, but I hope my siblings can take care of them," she said, adding that she was grateful to be offered a spot in UiTM Merbok, because she would still be based in the state.
Her father, Norisam Ghazali, 53, is a Person with Disabilities (PwD) after he was involved in an accident in 2013. He also suffers from heart disease, high blood pressure, thyroid and kidney disease.
He has been unable to earn an income due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Farahiyah's mother, Haniza Omar, 40, suffers from brain cancer, breast cancer, stage four lymphoma cancer, spinal problems and has undergone bile removal and half-liver surgery due to a bacterial infection.
In addition, her 21-year old sister has stage two breast cancer and thalassemia, and another 15-year-old sister has heart problems. Her younger siblings, aged 14, 10 and eight are healthy and have been tasked with taking care of the other family members.
According to Farahiyah, all her siblings have been taught to live independently since childhood, because they know the difficulties experienced by their family.
"When I was still in school, I did not have time to review my lessons at home because I was busy helping my mother make cakes and sending them to the store.
"However, I will now focus fully when the teacher teaches in class and Alhamdulillah, I can finally set foot in a university," she said when met after receiving a donation from Pasukan Buru Amal Kulim Founder, Nordin Abu Bakar .
The family depends on contributions from the Social Welfare Department as well as the PwD allowance and contributions from the mosque.