Market and Hospital Day!

I arrived at Pong's house early this morning.  Since Pong's personal van was fixed, Danny took Pong, her niece, and me to the market and hospital.

Pong on the van

On the way to the market, Pong told me about her childhood. A girl from a poor family who received limited education and had to leave school at age 11 to make an income and provide for her family.  Pong first worked as a waitress in a cafe, then in a factory by age 15.  She would wake early to help her parents to wash the pigs, feed them, and clean them again before leaving for work. To earn more money, she worked nights at a pub, leaving only 2~3 hours a day to sleep.  It was a difficult time, but whenever she had the thought of giving up with the faces of her hard-working parents on her mind.  Pong was unlike most teenagers, working early on as a young child to carry the load of the family and help her parents.

          The market which we went

The market was crowded with many people when we arrived.  This is the market Pong frequents with her family since she was a child and it carries many memories.  The vendors know Pong and her family and kindly make small conversation with us when we arrive at their stand. 

Waiting for Danny while 
he purchases vegetables

Pong cannot easily leave the van on her trolley, so she remains inside and calls out to her family what she'd like to buy.  

Pong's considerate nature is endless. While at the market, she kindly bought me  coconut rice(椰汁飯) that is too delicious to be forgotten.  

After the market, I went to the hospital Pong frequents in her town.  Danny parked the van at the front of the door and then removed Pong's wooden trolley. Ah Yan then took Pong's hands to move her forward.  Pong catches everyone's attention in the hospital.  Many looked on with sympathy and respect.

Just arrived at the hospital!

I viewed the room which Pong does all the physical therapy treatment. She mainly needs to do parallel for balancing, pulley to strengthen the arm, and hand cycle to improve her muscles. Pong's physio-therapist told me Pong is very different from other patients. Every time she arrives at the hospital, she is always laughing and smiling, and she never complains about all the treatments she need to do. I felt proud for Pong's strong will to live. She would give anything if there's a way that can make her health better. 

'I have no choice, it is my only chance to get better, ' Pong replied when I asked how she felt about the upcoming surgery to use her colon to make urinary tube.The chance of having the surgery successfully is only 50%, but the woman is so brave that she wants to neglect the risk and try.

Danny and Ah Yan helping Pong back to the van

Pong reminded me of another legendary person in my country. Hsieh Kuang San is a famous painter in Taiwan who paints with his mouth and feet. Like Pong, Hsieh was sound when he was born.He worked in a factory from 12 years old, and accidentally touched high voltage electrical point when he was 16. That was a miserable accident; he lost his arms, one leg and one eyes. Who can accept this? He tried to commit suicide for several times, but his mother kept on encouraging him with stories of Helen                                                                                             Keller or Ototake Hirotada, telling him that                                                                                       he can make a comeback just like them.

'I never think of what I lost; I just cherish what I have now'
said Mr Hsieh 

Hsieh started to invent some implements which can help him eat and drink alone.
Moreover, he tried painting with mouth and feet. He soon found an interest in painting, and practice it every day with patience and perseverance. Now, his paintings are famous, and his story of never giving up is known by every resident in the country. His background was similar as Pong’s, and they both have became fighters of life. 

To face the difficulties with courage or blame the gods all day is always what you can decide. Pong taught me to enjoy every moment, even if the moment is so normal like a daily routine.It's your attitude towards life that affects whether 
you are happy or not. After all, you choose how you feel.

A New Perspective

With the help of funds from different people, Pong got a special wheelchair made by Mr Lee of Delcon Technologies.Receiving a wheelchair really changed her life! She started to see things from a different height, and that made her really thrilled . On the wheelchair, she gets the feeling of being a 'normal’ person,  like she is not a disabled person anymore. 

Road in front of Pong's house

Also, the doctor told Pong that if she kept laying on the wooden trolley, her organs might be seriously oppressed, and become dysfunctional someday. Therefore, spending some times on the wheelchair can give her organs a break.The wheelchair not only brings good influence to her body but her minds, too.

The durian tree which Pong's youngest brother planted

Pong showed me the view around the house from the wheelchair, she introduced the family’s little animal farm, which includes chicken, geese, and a rabbit. Pong's family keeps 8 dogs around the house for safety (they live in a small house at the foot of a limestone hill with neighbors far away).When strangers get near,  they will all bark to inform the family. I watched Jenny Pong explained every thing with excitement; the smiling face of hers reminded remind me of the look kids have when having a field trip. 

Sometimes Pong stops to see the nature beauty

On random days, she just moves around with the family. Sometimes in the afternoon, sometimes after dinner. They would walk along the long road, reach almost the end and then walk back. 

Pong's youngest brother

Last time when she was out on the wheelchair, she was with her youngest brother. The brother told Pong that he felt ashamed for staying at home and not earning money. Pong told him it is necessary to have a man to stay in the family, because Danny(Pong's older brother) is not in a good health condition, and his hands can not do heavy work owing to a severe injury. From fixing roofs to catching snakes in the house, the youngest brother is responsible for every 'man' task . Actually, I was surprised when Pong said it was her idea to tell her brother to stay home and take care of the family. I then realized the brother has sacrificed a lot for them.

Pong's family loves taking a walk together

To Pong, it's more than taking a walk but a family time she shares with the most important people in the world. 

Pong wishes her mother is still alive, then they can go for a walk together, or they can travel to other countries when she becomes a motivational speaker.  

Pong sees the world in a different way. When we stood in front of the durian tree which her brother planted, I only noticed the fruit are unripe. However, from Pong's eyes, she observed things differently from me. She first looked at the lines on the tree and said it's possible to tell the age from the lines. Then she touched the skin of the tree, smelled the smell of the durian and told me to feel the skin of the unripe fruit to tell the age of the tree.

See you tomorrow, Ms Pong!

It has been a long time since I paid this much attention to the things around me. Pong sees deeper in everything, not just the shallow parts, and it was a pity that I have been losing interests in the world as I have been taking things for granted.

Jenny Pong really sets a good example to those who want to cherish their lives with perseverance and courage. Lots of people complain about life, and see small problems as big tragedies. I hope everyone can be influenced by Pong one day, seeing life as a precious gift from god, because that's what she has been teaching me from the day I met her.

Pong's Guardian Angel

Today was the second anniversary of Pong's mother's death. The family considers this as a very important day throughout the year. They woke up very early in the morning for the preparation, Pong 's niece Ah Yan even got a day off from school.

Pong making a traditional Malay dish 

Jenny Pong was cooking for the prayer when I arrived. She first washed the vegetables, then put fish paste into chili peppers. "My mom loved eating what I cook. She always told me to cook for her when she was still here," Pong said with a smile. 

Pong can get tired easily, so cooking was never a simple chore. In the morning, they would go to the market together. Back in those days, Pong didn't have her own van, so she had to borrow a van from her friends. There would be callings, scheduling and getting a driver before Pong could leave the house. They would decide what to cook on the way. No matter what her mother said about Pong not getting overworked from cooking,  Pong would always buy a fish because she knew it was her mother's favorite dish. Sometimes, they fought over who would do the cooking that day. The mother didn't want Pong to get overwork herself. However, Pong would always insist on making meals for the family as she thought her mother had already done so much for the family.

The Pong family, kneeling 
in front of the mother's tablet

Because the van that takes Pong around broke down, she stayed home to pray instead of going to the temple. I followed the rest of the family to the temple.  It felt like an All Souls’ Day  of worshiping ancestors. Everyone was solemn. Each member of Pong's family knelt down in front of the mother's memorial tablet while two nuns began reciting the Buddhist scripture. With eyes closed, the family members chanted with the nuns. 

Although life is difficult when finances are tight, the family is resilient and united together.  Pong's mother was always a prominent source of spirituality for her. After the accident, Pong was in a coma and lost the use of her arms and legs. Her mother rubbed her toes and sang songs like ‘Mama how (Mother loves you)’, remaining hopeful that her daughter would survive the tragedy. Pong's mother took care of her for 25 years after she woke from the coma.

        Pong shared a story with me about her mother. The mother used to make herb soup late at night for Pong whenever she had fever.  Pong would watch from the mosquito net, the dark figure of her mother walking in and out of the room, putting cold towels on her forehead, and telling her "The herb soup will be ready soon."

A friend of Pong's providing
assistance to her and the family 

     The mother didn't sleep much and still went to do farming and took care of Pong all day long. When the mother sat down in the late afternoon, she closed her eyes. Pong knew she was tired and urged the mother to take a rest. But the mother immediately sat up and insisted that she wasn't tired. She got out of the chair and gave Pong a hand towel bath. Then she went to cook for the family and made another pot of herb soup for Pong. She didn't go to bed till 11 am, until she was sure that Pong’s fever was gone.

      Pong often recalled the days which she spent with her mother. They used to cooked for the family, make handicrafts and sometimes go shopping together. After she passed away, the smell of the herb medicine is what Pong misses the most.  The fragrance is a symbol of her mother's love.

Pong is her kitchen        

Pong received her positive outlook and fortitude from her mother and hopes to continue her mother's legacy by passing on these attributes to others. Sometimes, she can still feel her mother is around, watching her somewhere in the house. I've also asked Danny(Pong's brother) about this, and he experiences the same sensation as well.   It seems like their mother never left her children; her love and care will remain in the Pong family forever.

True friendships

"My friends are my estate"
- Emily Dickinson

Ah Kam, Jenny Pong's 'sister'

We met some new friends today. When I first arrived at Ms Pong's house, I saw Ms Ah Kam .She is one of Jenny Pong's best friend. Due to a fall when she was nine year old, her left hand is twisted out and she doesn’t use it . Her right foot is slightly stiff from the fall so she walks with a limp. Because of these physical handicaps, she can’t do much except collecting bottle, tins, and plastic containers and sell them to recycling factory. She makes little from such work. Pong’s family sometimes gives her vegetables they grow and share chicken or fish with her.

Every important moment of Pong's life, Ah Kam is there. She follows Pong to the hospital every time, and often comes to Pong's house to help. She could have used her time to collect more recycles, but she choose to give a hand to Pong.How many unselfish friends does one have in a life time?

Pong was so touched when Ah Kam took care of her sick mother in the hospital. 'At that time, I am also under treatment,so I could not do anything. It's awful to watch my own mother in pain but cant help. Ah Kam is just like my real sister.I am really lucky to have her around.'  

While listening to Pong and Ah Kam's little stories, a new face came in from the door. It was Harry Ho,Jenny's other friend. It's hard to tell that he is a physically challenged man if I did not see his cane. He is so passionate and kind! Harry lost his legs in an accident, and at the very beginning, he couldn't accept the fate. It took him 2 years to recover, physically and mentally. He then went to the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and met Ms Pong there.

Harry ' We are not disabled,we are special '

When Pong was still running the Perak Disabled Society, Harry gave her a lot of useful advice. He even gave support to Pong when there were rumors about her committing corruption. 

As years passes, Harry is always there for Pong. He comes to visit Pong whenever he has time. Recently, Pong told Harry about the idea of buying a new land, because the place where she lived now can be taken back by the owner any time. Harry then gave Pong information about lands and houses, he even told Pong to check if there is any policy which can help disabled people in straitened circumstances to buy lands. At that moment, I saw one's care demonstrated because of friendship. If Ah Kam is like a sister to Jenny Pong, Harry is like a mentor to her. 

Ms Pong emphasized more than one time about the importance of having good friends. Besides her supportive family, friends helped her survived from all the tragedies more than anything else.  I too can see, with my own eyes, that the warmth and support from her friends give Pong a glow on her cheeks. She is brave and optimistic because of all these blessings in her life

Meeting the "Undying Flame"

'I look different from the others,
but my mind is same with everyone' said Pong.

I've read stories and watched films about this amazing woman-Pong Seow Chin before the visit.  I was a bit nervous when Salman (photographer) and I arrived at the Ipoh train station in the morning,  Pong's brother, Danny, picked us up.  'Hello!!' saying in an energetic tone, Pong welcomed us with a big smile. Although we are strangers to Pong's family, everyone treated us with hospitality.

Unlike what I expected from a disabled person, Pong is actually very optimistic and humorous. She talked a lot about the days after the accident. After the accident, she hoped for encouragement and care from her family, but her husband just left her with out a warning. I could not imagine the sorrow which had followed her these years, and how brave  she has been facing all the difficulties by herself. 'Hating a person is too hard for me,so I just let the bad feelings go. It's okay that he has another family now, and I wish he is happy' Pong replied  when I asked about the husband. 

Her favorite hobby- sewing tissue box towels

She then told us about her typical day. Pong can only be asleep for 1~2 hours at night, but she cant take any sleeping pills due to her health condition. Therefore, she goes to bed around 11 p.m. and lies on the bed, waiting to get into dreams. She used to make some paper shoes, but her doctor told her to stop, because because breathing theglue's toxic vapors can damage her kidneys. She only makes tissue box towels now, and when she gets tired of 
doing that, she starts to make meals for the family. 

Pong takes some rest between the interval. I was curious about how she take rest on the trolley, so she showed us the little table which she always lies on. 'I put my hands on the table and just lie on it. Sometimes I just watch the scenery outside from my house. I also call that a rest!' she said and winked her eyes. 



We left before sunset to give Pong some time to rest. After today's short visit, I was more impressed by this strong and special woman. From the bottom of my heart, I respect Pong, and I really hope things around her get better and better in the future. 
 


By Claire Chen

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