KUALA LUMPUR: A 31-year-old man has been incapacitated for more than a decade after an unknown disease caused his limbs to become deformed.
Rohani Daud, 70, said Mohd Nisra Niruan Tan, her youngest of seven children, was born healthy and grew up like any other child, but began losing his balance at the age of 11 and eventually lost the ability to walk.
She said doctors had been unable to diagnose the condition, which had afflicted four of her other children.
"Since then, my husband, Nirwan Tan Abdullah, 70, and I have accepted Nisra's condition, where he can only lie on his front.
"I sometimes wonder about our fate, but upon reflection, I realise it is Allah's will, and I have accepted it.
"Two sons and two daughters, who also suffered from the same disease, have died," she said.
"My eldest child died at 25, followed by my fourth child at 12, then my fifth child who died while I was nine months pregnant, and my sixth child who died at the age of 5," she added.
Non-governmental organisation Cempaka Merah Asnaf Society chairman Che Norhayati Mohamed visited the family and provided basic necessities to ease their burden.
In spite of Nisra's condition, Rohani was grateful that he has lived longer than his siblings.
"Nisra, who also has hearing problems, has never blamed fate for his misfortune. Instead, it has become a source of strength for me to face the days ahead," she said.
She said despite her waning strength, she never complained and was committed to caring for her special needs child.
"I am grateful for still having the health to see to Nisra's needs, including bathing him, feeding him, and changing his diapers.
"But I worry about what will happen to Nisra when my husband and I are no longer here..
"I sincerely hope that someone can provide him with the love and care that we have given him all these years," she said.
She said her husband works at a lumber factory and barely made enough to cover the necessities.
"I have two other children, but my son is unable to work due to frequent seizures and is dependant on medication. My daughter is married but isn't well-off," she said.
"I need RM300 a month for Nisra's necessities every month, and I am grateful for the RM 500 monthly assistance from the Social Welfare Department," said Rohani.