Youth disfigured by acid attack 13 years ago finally gets help

 

Thirteen years ago, Nurul Dahyatul Fazlina Mat Haizan suffered serious injuries after being splashed with rubber acid by her father.

Today she is looking forward to a fresh start, thanks to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and a private clinic in Kuala Lumpur.

Nurul Dahyatul (above), 21, has finally received the financial support required to undergo facial reconstruction surgery.

Speaking at a press conference this morning, the victim and her mother, Che Ku Zaimah Che Ku Awang, 41, expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Kok for arranging the medical procedure with the clinic, and for sponsoring their transportation and accommodation costs to Kuala Lumpur.

They travelled over 432km from Kampung Sekayu, Kuala Berang, Terengganu, where they currently reside, and where the tragic incident took place.

“I am honestly very touched. For 13 years (since the incident), I did not think that anyone would eventually come to help me,” a teary-eyed Nurul Dahyatul said.

In 2010, she and her younger brother, Muhammad Irfan Firdaus, suffered serious injuries after being splashed with rubber acid by their father during a family altercation.

Her mother and grandmother were also affected by the acid attack but sustained only minor injuries.

Seputeh MP Teresa Kok with Nurul Dahyatul Fazlina Mat Haizan and her mother Che Ku Zaimah Che Ku Awang (left)

The incident left her suffering from skin and respiratory complications as a result of facial disfiguration.

Zaimah said after the attack, Nurul Dahyatul was treated in a hospital for three months, but that they were forced to stop due to transportation problems.

She added that various parties, over the years, have offered to give financial assistance, yet all failed to follow through.

With the heavy scarring on her face untreated, Zaimah said her daughter had struggled with her self-esteem, was afraid of leaving the house, and was too embarrassed to go to school.

Father convicted

Kok had learnt about the case through the media, prompting her to reach out to several medical practitioners asking if they would be willing to assist with Nurul Dahyatul’s case.

Premier Clinic in Bangsar offered to shoulder the costs for her recovery, totalling up to RM20,000 over the course of 10 sessions.

Each session will involve the usage of LED, lasers, and injections to potentially reduce Nurul Dahyatul’s scarring by up to 50 percent.

She has since undergone two sessions of the procedure, which she expects to complete within the next 10 months.

Nurul Dahyatul said her breathing has since improved after these two initial sessions, and she no longer suffers from respiratory difficulties as she previously would, due to blocked and disfigured nostrils.

Kok said she hopes the treatment would give the youth a new lease on life.

“Nurul Dahyatul is so young, she still has a bright future ahead of her,” the DAP lawmaker said, adding that she would be willing to arrange further support for vocational training, should Nurul Dahyatul wish to further her studies.

The Seputeh MP also appeared saddened when she added how women are often unfairly judged for their physical appearance.

“As women, we often feel uneasy when hearing stories like these,” she said, encouraging the public to offer moral support to Nurul Dahyatul and her family via social media.

After the incident in 2010, Zaimah filed for a divorce and her ex-husband was convicted within the same year, with seven years imprisonment and nine strokes of the cane.

Since his release in 2017, the offender had asked for forgiveness and attempted to rekindle his relationship with Nurul Dahyatul and her siblings.

When asked whether she has forgiven her father, she responded tearfully, saying she has never held any grudges against him.

“He is still my biological father, and as human beings, we are never free from making mistakes. I have accepted my fate as it is, and I see this all as a test from God,” said Nurul Dahyatul. - Mkini