Malaysians show their soft side

PETALING JAYA: You can count on Malaysians when it comes to humanity, especially when injustice is done to – of all people – a cancer-stricken man.

When news spread that the toy seller was stuck with 250 soft toys because the man who ordered them failed to turn up, Malaysians came in droves to help.

A passer-by saw 65-year-old David Christopher on Monday sitting by the sidewalk with 250 of the unsold Pokemon soft toys.

He bought a bagful of the toys, posted an image of Christopher, the heap of toys and shared his plight on social media.

In a mere two hours, 190 dolls were sold. Christopher, so moved by the generosity, said: “Thank God!”

“If people wanted to cheat, I can’t do anything about it,” he said.

“What then happened is that within two hours, God sent His soldiers around,” Christopher said.

Yesterday, a crowd poured in, eager to buy Christopher’s plushies.

By 11am – less than an hour after Christopher set up “shop” – the remaining toys were sold out, and he returned with more at 2.30pm. That too ran out within 45 minutes.

September has been a good month for Christopher, who sells hundreds of toys a day.

“Back then, I was struggling to sell 50 toys a week. Now I sell about 500 a day,” he said, saying sales picked up when someone wrote about him on Facebook earlier.

Christopher is very appreciative of the public’s support, but refuses to take additional payment for his toys, preferring to stick to set prices.

The single father who is battling leukemia sells toys to fund his medical expenses. His son is studying in the United States on a scholarship.

“My son has also taken up a part-time job in the US and is able to care for himself. I’m so blessed with him,” said Christopher.

Betty, a 40-year-old Indonesian, helps him with his business on her work breaks. She has known him for years and works for him for free.

“When I saw him carrying the toys, I felt very sad. He reminds me of my own grandparents.

“Some people asked me why I help Uncle, as he is not from the same race or background as me, but if we help others, God will help us too,” she said.

Adam Ismail, 33, came by to buy some Pikachus for his children.

“I heard about the toys on Facebook. I’ve come before but the toys were sold out,” he said, adding that the design of the toys was nice. “And the prices reasonable.”

Munas Van Boonstra, 37, came with an empty luggage bag, which she filled with Christopher’s toys.

“I came because I saw there were 250 (unsold) toys. I actually came to buy 250 but a hundred have been sold,” she said.

Van Boonstra, who is a breast cancer survivor, said that the toys she bought would go to the needy in Malaysia and Singapore.

Christopher’s soft toys are selling for RM10 each and he can be found sitting outside Damansara Uptown HSBC bank.