Moved to action: Kalaimagal and Tamilselvam (top) seated with Nirmala and Lingeswaran.
KLANG: Sometimes destiny brings people together for specific reasons – and that is what probably happened with R. Nirmala, who is in Seremban, and P. Kalaimagal, who lives in Mentakab, Pahang.
It was this unlikely bond that resulted in Kalaimagal’s visually impaired husband P. Tamilselvam receiving the precious gift of sight.
Nirmala, 36, narrates how she stumbled upon Kalaimagal on social media platform TikTok and felt an instant connection with the 37-year-old woman after watching her videos in which she spoke about her daily life.
“I managed to contact her and visited Kalaimagal at her home in Mentakab and it was there I saw the dire situation that she was in,’’ said the social media entrepreneur who manufactures and sells edible condiments.
Kalaimagal, who is a general worker at a sawmill, is the sole breadwinner as Tamilselvam, 41, is not able to work due to his disability.
Although illiterate, as she had never attended school, Kalaimagal learnt to make videos and uploads them on TikTok. She found solace in sharing her life online.
“Kalaimagal exuded an aura of innocence and was like a child, but yet she had such a heavy load on her shoulders,’’ said Nirmala.
Kalaimagal did not know of any options she could pursue for her husband’s blindness, which occurred gradually over the years.
Following her meeting with Kalaimagal, Nirmala and her husband S. Lingeswaren, 34, decided they wanted to help.
It was also then that the Mentakab district hospital referred Tamilselvam to Hospital Kuala Lumpur for follow-ups.
“We brought them to Kuala Lumpur and put them up in an apartment we owned and covered all their expenses.
“My husband also accompanied Tamilselvam for all his ophthalmology appointments and found out that he (Tamilselvam) was suitable for a corneal transplant.
Lingeswaren then arranged for Tamilselvam to be placed on the recipients list and the surgery for a single eye transplant was first scheduled to be conducted in October.
When the first two recipients before Tamilselvam were deemed unsuitable for surgery due to health reasons, his eye surgery was expedited to July.
Nirmala said Tamilselvam was exempted from hospitalisation, surgical and treatment costs as he carried a disability card issued by the Welfare Department.
However, US$600 (RM2,700) was required for administrative costs as well as transportation of the cornea – which was coming from Sri Lanka.
“I was happy that my husband would finally be able to see but was worried as to where and how I was going to get so much money to pay for it,’’ said Kalaimagal, who earns a monthly salary of about RM350 to RM400.
Without letting Kalaimagal know, Nirmala used the returns from two new products that she had launched to pay the amount as well as cover all other expenses needed for Tamilselvam’s post-surgical care.
“No one has ever helped me like Nirmala has and I am grateful beyond words,’’ said a teary Kalaimagal.
Tamilselvam, who has never been seen smiling in any of the TikTok videos uploaded by Kalaimagal, has been grinning from ear to ear since he was able to see in one eye.
“I never expected this and am very grateful,’’ said Tamilselvam.
Nirmala and Lingeswaran now have another surprise for Kalaimagal and Tamilselvam.
“I have not told them yet, but I have made arrangements for Kalaimagal to move to Nilai and work in my factory,’’ said Nirmala.
She said Kalaimagal would no longer have to carry out the tough back-breaking work in the sawmill to earn a living.
Heartwarming tales such as this are promoted and encouraged by the “Maaf Zahir Batin Hari Hari” campaign (#MZB365), which was launched on April 6.
The campaign stands strong with support from major media organisations and civil society organisations.
