My brother’s absolute filial love

I AM inspired to write about my brother after reading the front-page report “Merciless” (The Star, Jan 13) about the abandoned old folks in Taman Wahyu, living in filth and misery.

About a year-and-a-half ago, my mother suffered a stroke. After stabilising her blood pressure and stopping the life-threatening internal bleeding, the doctor, citing that my mom was already old (in her 80s), said there was nothing else he could do for her and asked us to take her home.

Thus began the full-time responsibility of taking care of my bedridden mom.

My younger brother’s absolute filial love for our mom and his concern for me, his cancer-survivor sister, is most inspiring.

Seeing that I was weak and underweight, my brother, a bachelor in his 50s, left his plumber job to look after our mom full-time.

Yes, other than gently feeding her spoonful by spoonful, he washes, cleans and bathes her and has no qualms about doing all this.

With what little savings he had when he used to work as a labourer, and the RM300 monthly from the Welfare Department, we survive frugally.

We cook very simple food and for entertainment, there is the TV, no Astro.

He has never complained about anything. He has never counted the costs of giving up his job or lamented about having no social life.

In fact, when mom suffered a second stroke last month, that left one side paralysed, it drained him emotionally.

He cried silent tears just from the thought that mom, who raised us single-handedly with meagre earnings doing menial jobs, was close to death.

I have utmost respect for my brother. What I can’t do for mother, he does it all!

If that isn’t filial piety, the ocean is dry.

I hope this letter will fill all elderly folk out there with hope.

Even without much means and with very little money, their sons and daughters can still take care of them.

THE OCEAN IS BRIMMING

Petaling Jaya