IPOH, MALAYSIA – While some might camp at the beach for a vacation or for an overnight wait for the launch of the latest gadget, a Malaysian father was willing to camp outside a hospital so he can be close to his wife and 8-year-old son who was being admitted to the hospital for having a brain tumour.
Adi, the father, who shared photos on Tuesday (10 January) to Family Camping Malaysia, a camper community Facebook group, showed how he set up an extended canopy behind his vehicle in his camp out at the parking lot outside the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital, Ipoh.
“Camping by the river, X(No), ” he wrote, “camping at the RPB Hospital Ipoh parking lot, ✓(Yes). To be close with my beloved son and wife… Father is willing to sacrifice.”
In response to a question by one of the FB group members about who the patient was, Adi said that his youngest son has been diagnosed with a brain tumour, and just took a brain sample on Saturday (7 Jan) morning.
Many other netizens had poured in with their best wish for Adi’s son to recover soon.
Another group member Firdaus Hadi shared he, too had an experience camping for five days outside a hospital in his car. He shared that his son was admitted to the hospital but only one family member was allowed to accompany him.
“I don’t want my wife to sleep in the car alone at the parking lot. Our house is one and a half hour drive from the hospital, hence not possible to let my wife stay in the house as still need to breastfeed my child at the time.”
Firdaus said his son would cry looking for him so staying in a hotel was also not an option, not to mention the hotel was not close to the hospital, “I ended up camping in the car for five nights, went to the sick ward after slept in the car every night.”
More comfortable camping in car, only challenge is fighting mosquitoes
Netizen Nik Hanif had suggested that Adi should stay at the temporary inn, Anjung Kasih provided by National Welfare Foundation (YKN).
“To me, It’s more comfortable like this…” Adi replied, and added that Anjung Kasih might require him to mingle with others while he can stay alone if he camps in his car, the only challenge for him is fighting against the mosquitoes.
Another netizen Noratikah also commented that with a deposit of RM10, people can get a private room at Anjung Kaish and can stay for an extended time, Noratikah added that she stayed there three months ago.
When interviewed by online media World Of Buzz, Adi, father of three sons, revealed that his son was diagnosed with a brain tumour on 3 January this year.
Fortunately, the operation was a success, and his son is now in stable condition, but major supervision is still required.
The distance between Adi’s home and the hospital requires an one-hour drive. Other than the financial constraints, he said it is easier for him to be near the hospital when the doctor calls, and finding parking at the hospital could also be an issue.
