The invisible Malaysians

Rozella and Sonya

TRUE Complexion will be having its first official event, “Alive! Festival 2018”, a fundraiser to pay for the medical bills of Rachel, who suffers from Morquio Syndrome, which leads to abnormal bone and spine development.

Her treatment costs about RM28,000 a week or RM1.6mil a year, and will have to be done throughout her life.

“She comes from a single-mother family – I don’t know how much we’ll be able to raise, but even a little bit would help her,” says True Complexion founder Rozella Marie Majhrin.

Alive! Festival 2018 will be held on Sept 29 at The Bee at the Publika Mall in Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

It will start from 2pm and go on until 11pm, with various activities and events lined up, such as talks and workshops on yoga, meditation and anxiety. There will be performances and group support sessions for caregivers.

“I really wanted to include group support for caregivers because sometimes, we focus on people who have the condition but forget that it actually affects everyone around them,” says Rozella.

Photo and caricature booths will also be present, as well as communities from various organisations, selling a variety of items.

At around 8pm, there will be musical performances from prominent artistes such as Fazz and Gabriel Lynch.

“I wanted to make it as inclusive as possible. Sometimes I think the problem is a lot of people aren’t aware that there are people who are different from you.

“For example, when you walk in a mall you don’t see a lot of people who are differently-abled.

“I want to make sure that people from the community are visible, and that interaction is possible. It is important to realise that,” says Rozella.

Rachel, who will be co-hosting the event, says that True Complexion is a reminder that nobody is alone.

“This is a really amazing platform and each time after reading an interview by them, I get the ‘you’re not alone’ feeling.

“That is only by reading – imagine when you get to interact with them face-to-face. I can’t wait,” she says.

Early bird tickets are currently on sale at https://alivefestival2018.peatix.com/