Siblings bring joy despite debilitating disease


Compiled by DIYANA PFORDTEN , CHOW HOW BAN and R.ARAVINTHAN

DESPITE suffering from a rare disorder, two siblings aged two and seven, have charmed many Malaysians on social media with their cheerful demeanour, Sinar Harian reported.

Muhammad Ummar Sayf, seven, and his two-year-old sister Iris Aleena Mohammad Badrul Nirsyam, suffer from mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS Type I), which is a deficiency of an enzyme that functions as an eliminator of foreign substances in the body.

“The absence of the enzyme causes disabilities in terms of vision, hearing, movement of joints and bones, and body balance,” said their mother Ain Syahirah Zulkifli, 33.

TikTok sensations: Muhammad Ummar and Iris Aleena with their parents during Hari Raya celebrations last month. — Photo: Sinar Harian
TikTok sensations: Muhammad Ummar and Iris Aleena with their parents during Hari Raya celebrations last month. — Photo: Sinar Harian

But the children have become quite popular on TikTok for their cheery attitude.

Their development had been shared on their father’s TikTok account, which has since reached 6.6 million total views and 266,000 followers.

Although her children have to put up with various deficiencies and are visibly different from other children their age, Ain Syahirah said they could understand basic communications and speak in their own way.

Ummar and Iris Aleena are active kids who would amuse those around them with their playfulness, said the housewife.

> Nature lovers can have a safari experience to witness wildlife at their natural habitat at the Paya Indah Discovery Wetlands, Kuala Langat, Selangor, Kosmo! reported.

Visitors would be first transported in a safari truck that takes them on a bumpy road surrounded by a forest.

Among the attractions are three hippos imported from Botswana in southern Africa.

If visitors happen to arrive during their feeding time at around 10am, they are allowed to give food to the hungry hippos while being supervised by an officer of the Wildlife and National Parks Department, according to the daily.Other attractions include a lake with saltwater crocodiles commonly known as buaya tembaga.

● The above article is 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 this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.

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