JOHOR BARU: Junaidah Omarang is a grandmother in desperate need of help to feed her 12 grandchildren.
Her husband died several years ago, and her three children are jobless because of layoffs brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Living on the third floor of the Sri Stulang low-cost flats in this city, the 62-year-old was startled when she thought two blind strangers were coming up the stairs to her flat yesterday.
When she saw white canes in the hands of Mohd Nor Saiful, 30, and Tan Chee Kiong, 47, as they approached the door of her flat, Junaidah knew she was right and that her visitors were blind.
She welcomed the duo, accompanied by Chee Kiong's son, Tan Hong Yu, 19, who was carrying a box of provisions.
It was then Junaidah realised that Saiful and Chee Kiong had brought her family rations to help them in their current desperate straits.
"I'm struggling and these two men are blind who themselves need help to walk up to my flat to visit me. I'm so grateful to see them and thank them for bringing groceries to my home," Junaidah told the New Straits Times after the visit by the blind pair, her voice cracking as emotion overwhelmed her.
"It is nice of them to think of me and my family during this pandemic. If not for them I wouldn't have visitors."
When her visitors motioned to leave, Junaidah saw them out to the landing leading to the stairs.
She said later she wondered about the extent of the trouble taken by her blind benefactors just to visit her and bring her aid in her desperation.
"It's so wonderful to know that the blind care for us when they themselves are in need of care," she said.
Nor Saiful and Chee Kiong made the visit to Junaidah's home a brief one because they had targeted another home to visit.
This was a one-room unit in Plentong, occupied by Tan Guee Kwee, 60, and his son, Johnny, 22.
Guee Kwee's wife left him years ago when he met with an accident.
Since then, he has had to rely on his son for his upkeep but now even that fallback is out as Johnny is jobless due to the pandemic.
The wheelchair-bound Guee Kwee is unable to walk nor work. He depends on charitable people who drop by to provide groceries for him.
Yesterday, he was taken by surprise to see the two blind men drop by to visit him.
They brought him groceries – rice, oil, sugar, noodles, eggs, sardines, milk and milo.
"I'm an OKU (disabled person) and I get to meet two OKUs who brought groceries for me. I will never forget this as today is a special day for me to meet two persons who can't see but had thought of me," said Guee Kwee, as his voice trailed off from the emotion of the moment.
Nor Saiful and Chee Kiong had struck up a friendship when they became members of the World of Blind Association nearly a decade ago when the duo began wrestling with growing blindness.
As a result of glaucoma, Chee Kiong was losing sight in both eyes while Nor Saiful completely lost sight in one eye and had only 20 per cent of it in the other one following a brief illness in 2013.
Nor Saiful is a sales assistant in Cold Storage and is married to a colleague.
"We may be blind but we can hear the cries of the people seeking help. We listen to the news and hear what people speak and say and we know what people are going through. We on our part can do just this little bit," said Nor Saiful.
Chee Kiong was more assertive about their motivation.
"A blind person, in reality, is the only person who can truly see. They know, first hand, what true love is, without the use of eyes but with the heart. And that is the truest form of love."
Both friends pooled their own money to buy groceries for the people they chose to help.
"We don't have a lot but we must give to people in greater need than us, especially in these times of great hardship for so many," said Nor Saiful.
Donating rations to two households is not the end of the charity drive by Chee Kiong and Nor Saiful. They intend to continue with their efforts as and when their resources permit.