KUALA NERANG: Drawing with his feet, Mohd Khairuddin Che Rani, 35, finds joy in the creative endeavour, leaving behind his painful years.
He said he had once survived on pipe water for four days after being cheated by his employer when he moved to Kuala Lumpur in 2008.
He said he was paid RM50 fortnightly, forcing him to only have a single meal in a few days.
He had earlier saved some money by carrying items in his hometown, Pasir Mas, Kelantan before migrating to the capital city.
"I was unfortunate, even though my employer had promised to share the profit from the sales of my paintings.
"I couldn't afford to buy food and eat only once or twice a week."
He said he persevered for a year due to his passion for arts until he decided to further his studies in visual arts at the Industrial and Rehabilitation Training Centre for people with disabilities in Bangi, Selangor.
"I met many people there and Alhamdulillah, a kind person allowed me an opportunity to operate at their shop," he said when met in Pokok Sena.
Khairuddin said he had started his business by selling paintings at the premises before deciding to work at Persatuan Mouth & Foot Painting Artist Sdn Bhd (MFPA) in Kuala Lumpur.
After joining the company, his life changed for the better as he received commissions, in addition to his basic salary when his artwork was sold.
"MFPA has a branch in Kuala Lumpur; the company is based in Switzerland.
"I'm required to produce five paintings to be sold there.
"I receive the proceeds of the sale, but I have to inform the company for me to collect points, or something like key performance index (KPI)," said Khairuddin who is now happily married and has a six-month old baby.
He said he furthered studies part-time to enhance visual arts skills for the disabled at Universiti Malaya for a year.
While he is living a better life, he said, he is still facing stigma and experiencing discrimination, with some people treated him like a beggar.
"Once, I called a waiter at an eatery as I wanted to place an order, but nobody came.
"I waited for an hour before deciding to walk off.
"Even after getting married, and now having an able-bodied child, some people asked if my child's brain is alright, but I chose to ignore them.
"Some people treated me with disdain because I paint using my feet."