Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
Image: A picture of my son, before everything changed.
Poverty has always been the norm for me.
My grandfather was poor, my father was poor, and for me, let’s just say I don’t expect to be swimming in money in my lifetime either.
But I am content with the frugal life I have. It has always suited me best.
During my childhood, I had an accident that changed my life forever.
It was a children’s game. We were playing rough, and then a friend accidentally shot a bamboo stick in my left eye.
That was the day I became partially blind.
After that, I stopped going to school. I started looking for jobs to make a living.
But being a Person with Disabilities (PWD), most of society still does not understand our community.
I was rejected by most employers. Some said I should stay home, and a few even told me that people like me were better off dead.
The truth is, I may be illiterate and partially blind, but I’m strong, hard working, and I learn quickly.
I really don’t need any donations or sympathy from others. Being given an opportunity or a chance is all I really need to prove myself.
It’s a hard reality, but I know I’m not the only one.
I was scammed by a trusted ‘friend’
One day, a trusted friend asked for help with a transaction at the bank — he needed my help to sign a contract.
I knew him for many years and I was very sure that he would never do anything to betray me. And so, with that rationale, I signed the papers.
I didn’t know what it was for, as I couldn’t read. That swipe of a pen ruined my life.
Turns out, the contract was for a credit card, and I had signed on as the guarantor. Before I knew it, my friend had racked up RM30,000 of debt and disappeared before I could get a hold of him.
Since the bank couldn’t find him, I was saddled with the debt and I had to pay it off myself.
I was begging on the streets
It all happened so quickly. Before I knew it, the house I shared with my family was taken away as I couldn’t pay the debt.
My wife and son had to move in with my parents. All the while, I desperately tried my best to find a job to feed ourselves.
At one point, my wife and I made the decision to give up our son to a distant relative to take care of, because I could barely feed him.
I was heartbroken. I thought bitterly, “I am a failure as a father.”
Eventually, without my family’s knowledge, I resorted to begging on the streets. I had no choice — no one would give me a job and I had to feed the family.
Occasionally, I would also offer people foot massages at rock bottom prices. But even then, it was hardly enough to buy a meal.
It was humiliating, because you are holding strangers’ feet every day. In the eyes of society, being a foot masseuse is amongst the lowest jobs out there, next to garbage man and toilet cleaner.
It was tough, but I grit my teeth and did it. And till today, I never told my family the truth.
The day I was given another chance
One day, a government official reached out to me as I was a registered PWD.
They told me about an entrepreneurship program that was allocated for PWDs and the marginalized.
They asked if I was interested to join.
At that point, it felt like I was a drowning man who was given a lifebuoy.
I knew that I had to make a change in my life. And so, with nothing to lose, I went for it.
Honestly, this program truly changed my life.
The people there did not just see me as a PWD, but as a person, and they truly helped me believe that I was worthy of running a business on my own.
They taught me everything, from starting a business, to managing it, and how to market it, as well as how to manage my finances.
Image: Traditional Cupping therapy, one of the treatments I now offer.
With the proper business knowledge, I decided to pursue starting a massage business.
I set up a small tent by the roadside along with some chairs, and I started out offering my services for foot massages.
Eventually, people started asking if I offered other massages such as full-body, neck and shoulders, and so I agreed.
I started handing out flyers and with what little profit I made, I started saving them and learned to track my expenses.
Little by little, I started expanding my stall, then I upgraded into a shop.
A few years later, I now own several massage parlours and even manage to provide jobs to others. Never in my life did I ever imagine I’d be where I am today.
Now I focus on sharing the blessings
About 10 years after I took on the debt, I finally paid off the final instalment.
I have never felt as free as the day I signed the last check to my debt. That heavy burden has been finally lifted, and I was free!
I got my son back, and we are reunited as a family once again.
Image: My son and I.
With my improved financial status, I managed to upgrade our home and send my children to better schools, giving them the education I didn’t have at their age.
What to do if you are in the same position:
If you are in a tight position in your life, here are the lessons I’ve learned from coming out the other side:
- Be humble — Don’t turn away a low-status job if it puts food on the table.
- Take every opportunity — I knew nothing about starting a business, but taking that opportunity to learn had truly changed my life.
- Never forget the struggle — Every day, I am grateful for the life I live now. I will never forget what it’s like to beg on the street.
- You can start from nothing – Its possible to start all over again.
- Believe that you are capable – Only you can pull yourself out of trouble. Keep a positive mindset, and always find a flipside to the negative thoughts.
Being given that one opportunity truly changed my life.
Since then, I made it a mission to help others by providing them a job, regardless of their disabilities.
Thanks to the blessings of God, I’ve also started donating rice and other daily goods to the hungry as a reminder of my days on the streets.
It’s never too late to start again. Wherever you are in life, know that you will get through this.
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