He lost his leg but not his will

Busy as a bee: Wong sells a variety of items at six morning markets around Skudai and Kulai. — THOMAS YONG/The Star

KULAI: Wong Kar Heng may have lost his right leg, but the 61-year-old retired bus driver is still determined to be independent and live an active life.

Wong had to have his leg amputated due to a bacterial infection about five years ago.

Equipped with a prosthetic leg, he now sells a myriad of items at six morning markets around Skudai and Kulai.

“While I was on vacation in China, my condition deteriorated so I boarded a flight back to Kuala Lumpur and then took an ambulance to Hospital Sultanah Aminah for emergency treatment.

“Due to the severity of my condition, the doctor said my right leg had to be amputated.

“From then on, I moved around in a wheelchair until about three years ago when I got a prosthetic leg.

“After that, I began practising to walk with the help of crutches,” he said in an interview.

Feeling bored sitting at home, Wong stumbled upon some of his daughter’s accessories, which were leftover stock from when she used to sell them at a stall in a hypermarket.

He decided to set up a stall at the Senai morning market to sell the trinkets.

“My wife used to drive me to and from the market.

“Though it was tough and my movements were slow at first, other traders there were quite accommodating and some even took the initiative to help me whenever I had difficulties moving about.

“Slowly, I got used to it and started riding a three-wheeled motorcycle by myself to set up my stall,” he recalled.

Wong said he later drove an automatic transmission van to the morning markets as it was more convenient.

“I also met a kind-hearted person who advised me to get accustomed to driving the correct way – by using my prosthetic leg.

“I followed his advice and after some practice, it felt much more natural,” he added.

With more space in his vehicle, Wong expanded his business to sell a variety of household items and Chinese ointments, earning him the nickname of the “Vehicle with Hundreds of Treasures” among his peers.

Wong alternates among six locations – Kelapa Sawit, Bukit Batu, Taman Sri Skudai, Bandar Putra Kulai, Kangkar Pulai and Senai – throughout the week from 6am to 10am.

He usually leaves his house at around 5am daily to set up his stall and is planning to sell more items in the future.

“I will do some research on each item online to learn their usage and functions before recommending them to my customers in order to provide the best service.

“I enjoy being a petty trader as I get to meet many people due to my outgoing nature.

“Although I am an amputee, I feel that the most important thing is to be open-minded and view life optimistically without caring about how others look at you,” Wong added.