MACHANG: Despite being wheelchair-bound, a woman has been selling and taking orders for rice with dishes (nasi berlauk) in order to ease the financial burden on her family.
Ruzaini Ismail, 56, said she ended up in a wheelchair after suffering a type of nerve illness five years ago.
She is helped by her husband, Ibrahim Mohd Zin, 62.
The couple wake in the wee hours of the morning at 3am everyday to cook and prepare orders from their customers.
Their eldest son, Mohd Ikmal Ariffi, 34, also helps to deliver the food to customers in and around Kok Lanas and Pulai Chondong for Cash On Delivery (COD) transactions from as early as 7am.
"Each day I get about 60 orders for packed rice with gulai ikan tongkol, gulai ayam and kerutuk daging (RM4), apart from orders of rice and dishes for functions, celebrations and special occasions.
"As long as I can and I am able to, I will do whatever I can to help ease the financial burden on my husband who does odd jobs around the vilage.
"We are also supporting two schoolgoing children, one is a Person with Disabilities (PwD)," she said when met at their home in Kampung Pangkal Nering Timur.
She said before she fell ill, she used to run a stall selling breakfast at Pulai Chondong, but after her health started to decline she had no choice but to close the stall.
"I was bedridden for two years, totally dependent on my husband and children for care on a daily basis.
"I is with their love, concern and care that my health has been able to improve, even though I am not as strong or as healthy as before.
"Now I am able to somewhat manage on my own even though I am wheelchair bound but I have to stay positive and do what I can in order for us to survive and get by.
"I told my husband that I want to start selling breakfast again because the cost of living is increasing and we need to do what we can to continue to put food on the table for the family," she said.
"Even though our income is not fixed and unpredictable, we are grateful that we are still able to earn a living and support our family," she said.