Couple cares for disabled child abandoned by mother

Compiled by BENJAMIN LEE, MANJIT KAUR and R.ARAVINTHAN

A COUPLE in Seremban have dedicated their lives to caring for a disabled child they hope to adopt, reported Utusan Malaysia.

Despite living in poverty, Nurul Aneesa Mohd Zainal and her husband Mohd Syafiq Ismail, 30, started taking care of Adell Sofea Fairuz in 2017, after the girl’s mother said she wanted to continue her studies.

Nurul Aneesa, 33, said the mother, however, disappeared shortly after and could not be contacted.

“I was suffering from frequent miscarriages at the time and wanted to help, so I decided to help care for Adell Sofea, but I didn’t expect her mother to just disappear,” she said when met at her home.

Things took a turn for the worse when the then nine-month-old Adell began experiencing symptoms of cerebral palsy.

“A week after I started taking care of Adell Sofea, she suddenly developed a high fever which was followed by stunted growth over the next few months.

“She couldn’t eat rice-based food anymore either; it caused serious complications in her body,” said Nurul Aneesa.

She and her husband, however, remain steadfast in their love for Adell, whom they hope to officially adopt.

“Right now, I don’t have a confirmation letter as her adoptive mother due to Adell Sofea’s missing mother, so it has been quite difficult when it comes to hospital admissions or buying insurance for her,” she added.

> Rock guitarist AG Coco has been hospitalised due to stage three kidney problems, Kosmo! reported.

AG, 39, who plays for popular rock band Hujan, is also suffering from severe kidney stones that have clogged his kidneys, according to his wife Zuliana Eusoff.

Zuliana also shared her heartbreak at not being able to be there for her husband as she is currently living in London with their six-year-old son.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a > it denotes a separate news item.