How far would you go to chase a dream everyone once said was impossible?
For one Malaysian family, the answer spans 10 attempts at SPM, two rounds of STPM, multiple odd jobs, countless tears and a 37-year journey that finally ended with a teaching post.
A woman recently shared her brother’s remarkable story on X, and it has moved Malaysians to tears.
Born breech, bullied in school & labelled a “slow learner”
In her post, the woman said her older brother had faced learning difficulties since birth due to a breech delivery that caused delays. Growing up, he struggled with stuttering, processing information, and often seemed lost in his own world.
Because of this, he was bullied physically and mentally even though their father worked as a teacher at the same school.
Doctors eventually classified him as a slow learner, and he was issued an OKU (learning disabilities) card.
10 SPM attempts, 2 STPM attempts… & still he refused to give up
Despite his challenges, he insisted on completing his education. He sat for SPM 10 times, telling his mother that his final attempt might be the last. The pressure often brought him to tears.
But he pushed on.
He then took STPM twice, finally earning the results needed to enter university. From there, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, followed by a DPLI teaching qualification.
During this period, he worked multiple odd jobs; as a hospital guard, school guard, old folks home guard, and even helped his father at the paddy field, just to keep going.
Breaking down after his interview & getting the job
On the day of his teaching interview, interviewers asked him about his OKU card. He explained openly that he had been diagnosed as a slow learner.
When he stepped out of the room, he walked straight to his mother and cried. His sister believes it was the weight of years of struggle finally lifting.
And then came the best news of all: He was officially hired as a teacher. At 37 years old, he is now starting life anew, fulfilling a dream he fought relentlessly for.
“You can’t help someone who doesn’t want help”
His sister described him as their own “Forrest Gump”; unchanged, gentle, innocent, but with a story made powerful through perseverance and grit.
She credited their mother, father, and siblings for supporting him, but said the real truth is simple:
You can’t help a person if the person doesn’t want to be helped. But in this case, he helped himself, that’s why he succeeded.”
In a previous update, she shared a photo of sending her brother to university for his KPLI course, joking that although he’s the older one, she was the “older sister for the day” ensuring everything went smoothly.
She also shared their mother’s explanation that his learning challenges likely stemmed from complications during his breech birth.
