Today, netizens and family of the man behind one of Penang’s famous chat koay teow stalls were left stunned after he suddenly vomited blood while at work.
WeirdKaya went to the stall located at Lebuh Cecil and spoke briefly to one of the vendors and family member of the char koay teow hawker, who’s simply known to many as Tan.
Spoke little and worked hard
A vendor, who wanted to be known as Wong, told WeirdKaya that Tan moved his char koay teow stall to the Lebuh Cecil Market 36 years ago and has been at the helm since.
She also described Tan as a man of few words who poured all of his energy into the business.
“He doesn’t talk much and is often busy with work. He also works six days a week and would take a day off on Thursdays. He also underwent a heart surgery previously,” she said.
‘All I heard was people shouting’
When asked to recount the moment when Tan began vomiting blood, Wong said all she remembered was people shouting in panic.
They were yelling that something bad had happened to him and many hawkers, including myself, rushed over to offer help.
“Someone then called for an ambulance and Tan was rushed to the Penang General Hospital. I think he vomited blood due to overwork and the heatwave we’re currently facing now,” she added.
‘I didn’t think it’d be him’
Tan’s daughter, who works as an audit clerk, told WeirdKaya that she was contacted by a vendor who was at the scene when her father vomited blood.
“At first, I was skeptical and thought that the vendor had identified the wrong person. But when I saw photos of him being circulated on social media and in the news, I knew it was true.
“I immediately sought permission from my boss to get off work earlier so that I could go to the hospital and attend to my father,” she said.
Tan’s daughter said her father had a blood transfusion and was later transferred to a private hospital for further treatment.
She added that further tests will be conducted on him to determine the real cause behind his condition.
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