Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim has once again touched the hearts of many with a heartwarming story of how he was able to help a former lecturer with his medical bills.
The story was shared in a Facebook post by Sim, who recounted the sequence of events involving him and his former lecturer, Dr Kamal.
Served as a “reader” for Dr Kamal
In the post, Sim wrote that he had known Dr Kamal for 20 years, spanning back to his days as a student at Universiti Malaya (UM), where he would go to the History Department every week to be a “reader” for Dr Kamal, who was pursuing his PhD despite his blindness.
Even after he graduated from UM, Sim continued to stay in touch with Dr Kamal.
Cancer diagnosis
It wasn’t until last month did Sim hear of Dr Kamal being diagnosed with colon cancer, a piece of news which left him shocked and saddened.
“Dr Kamal told me he needed about RM20,000 for surgery and that he couldn’t afford it as a retiree.
“I told him not to worry about the expenses and to focus on getting treatment and recovering. also assured him that I’d find a way to pay for the surgery.”
Paid for surgery
Yesterday (June 22), Sim went to the hospital where Dr Kamal was being prepped for surgery and paid the RM20,000 bill upfront.
He clarified that the money came out from his own pocket and not from government allocations.
This left Dr Kamal deeply touched, who thanked Sim profusely while in tears.
“Dr Kamal said I’ve been helping him since my schooling days and continued to do so even after becoming a minister. In truth, I’m the one who has benefited greatly from him.
“From learning alongside him while he worked on his PhD, I’m now able to contribute in a small way toward Dr Kamal’s recovery, and I believe I’m the one who came out richer in the end.”
Towards the end of the post, Sim wished Dr Kamal a speedy recovery, adding:
“You are in very good hands, Dr. Kamal. I’ll see you after the surgery. I promise I’ll read for you again, just like I did 20 years ago when we were at UM.”
Read the post here:
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