PETALING JAYA: A 61-year-old father in Kota Damansara recently earned the praise of netizens after a compilation video of him carrying his daughter on his back was posted on TikTok.
Sharing her story, Nadzirah Ibrahim, 31, said her father, Ibrahim Yeop, had been her pillar of support after an accident in February 2022 rendered her unable to walk.
Nadzirah said that during the accident, she broke her right thigh bone. To date, she has undergone four surgeries to insert metal rods, with the latest done earlier this month.
Nadzirah said the video, a compilation of several recordings shared over the two years she couldn't walk, served as a memory and an expression of appreciation for her father.
"I will never forget the memories of my elderly father supporting me as I struggled to walk up and down the stairs of our apartment for nearly two years," said Nadzirah.
She said she was cared for by her father and mother, Maimon Isa, 55, in the family home, which lacked an elevator. Their unit was on the fourth floor of the apartment.
"My father carried me every time we went to the hospital for check-ups and treatments.
"My father would often stop to catch his breath when we reached the second floor, and sometimes he would continue walking up to the fourth floor if he wanted to hurry.
"If he didn't carry me, my brother-in-law helped lift my wheelchair up the stairs," she said.
She admitted feeling guilty for burdening her parents, so she once reduced her weight to make it easier for her father to carry her.
"My father's body is slimmer than mine, so I quietly ate less to lighten the load, but when my father found out, he scolded me and told me to eat as usual, even saying he could carry me. That made me more determined to recover quickly," she said.
Nine months after the accident, Nadzirah got married to her husband, Umar Usman Mahamad Dom, who teaches at a school in Kuching, Sarawak.
She has been staying with her family in Kota Damansara since this month so that she can continue with her hospital visits and treatments.
She is now in the process of recovery and can walk with the help of a cane. However, her father remains by her side and always helps, especially in difficult situations.
"Their sacrifices are invaluable and they keep me positive. Thank you to everyone who has been keeping my family in their prayers," she said.
