People with disabilities often get more attention than others in whatever they do. Sheila Lonia Captin, a person with a physical disability, acknowledged this and said the medical team that attended to her had little faith in her ability to give birth normally. However, this mother’s strong willpower has proved that anyone, healthy or disabled, can accomplish anything if they have the desire to do so.
The courage of a young mother
“Des, do you have any family members or friends who would be willing to share an inspiring story with me?” I asked Desmond Marcus, my former colleague.
“I think I have the right person; I’ve adored her since she was a child. When would you like to meet her? I’ll set up a meeting,” Des replied.
Three weeks later, Des and I went to see his cousin.
The trip from Petra Jaya to Kampung Nangka, Kota Samarahan, should take no more than 30 to 40 minutes. However, driving was challenging, and the trip took more than an hour as the stunning weather suddenly turned gloomy, followed by heavy rain.
My visibility was hampered by the cloudburst at the time. I made the decision to drive in the far left lane as I could only go at 40 to 50 kilometres per hour.
It was my first time driving to and setting foot in Kampung Nangka. I was also unaware that Kampung Nangka was so near to Kuching; previously, I had only heard of it in Sibu.
Apart from the intense downpour that limited my visibility, I found it difficult to drive to Des’ cousin’s house due to the road’s narrow width, which could only fit one car.
After driving off the main road, it took us 15 minutes to get to our destination. Des’ aunt gave us each a warm welcome. She offered Des and me hot Milo, explaining that it would warm our bodies after being exposed to rain on the trip to their house.
A minute later, a petite young lady appeared, walked a little shakily towards me, and took a seat next to me.
She introduced herself as Sheila Lonia Captin, Des’ cousin, whom I was about to interview.
If she had not walked in front of me, I would not have known she had a physical disability because she really looked like a normal person.
Sheila began the conversation with a smile. She said that she had recently given birth and was currently in confinement.
According to her, her water broke abruptly while she was 35 weeks pregnant, five weeks before her anticipated delivery date.
“Even though my baby had to spend a week in the nursery for observation due to his early birth and jaundice, I’m grateful that he was born healthy.
“I recall receiving a medication to induce labour around 1pm. When my contractions became more frequent around 6pm, the doctors and nurses on duty rushed me into the operation room.
“I repeatedly convinced them at the time that I preferred a natural birth over a caesarean. However, doctors were less confident in me because they worried that I might not be able to push the baby out.
“I mustered all of my strength to push at the same time because I was confident that I could give birth naturally like other women.
“It appears that my efforts were not in vain because at 10.28pm, I gave birth to a cute and physically perfect baby boy, whom I named Christian Melvin,” said the 27-year-old mother.
Sheila added that doctors and nurses were constantly congratulating her; in fact, one of the doctors (who was with her during the labour process) expressed admiration for Sheila’s spirit and tenacity in being able to give birth normally despite her physical disability.
Her niece, according to her, taught her a lot about parenting, including how to bathe babies.
Looking back, she said she could not forget every expression and look on the faces of those in school who teased, harassed, or looked down on her.
She has shed countless tears, not to mention the agony she feels inside anytime she is referred to as si cacat (disabled person).
She can still clearly remember every detail of those incidents despite it having been almost 20 years.
On May 14, 1996, at 8pm, the daughter of Captin Guang and Senah Sawal was born normally at Sarawak General Hospital.
According to her 67-year-old mother, when Sheila was born, she had no physical flaws and was just like any other typical child.
“However, I noticed that she started walking far later than other children, who could begin walking between the ages of nine months and 15 months.
“Sheila couldn’t walk until she was two years old; by then, children her age were already running around.
“Anyway, I am grateful that my only child is always healthy and able to read, count, write, and study like other children,” Senah said, adding that her daughter attended Sekolah Kebangsaan St Michael Entingan from Year 1 to Year 6.
Senah said that even though her daughter was given the opportunity to continue her education at a special school in Stampin, Kuching she was hesitant to send her there since her daughter would have to live in a dormitory and be away from her.
Sheila, a full-time housewife, added that because of her mother’s reluctance, she continued her studies (Form 1) at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Muara Tuang.
She did, however, only attend one day of class since she found it difficult to climb the steps to her classroom.
Therefore, she decided to enrol in the community-based rehabilitation centre (PDK) in Kampung Muara Tuang, which is closer to her house and allows her father to send and pick her up on a motorbike.
“After that, the Social Welfare Department (JKM), in 2013, granted me the chance to continue my studies at Kota Samarahan PDK with an RM200 monthly allowance.
“However, because my father has mobility issues, I decided to study till 2019.
“Throughout my studies, most of my teachers allowed me the chance to assist other friends with activities such as using computers, sewing, dancing, and others,” she said, adding that while at the centre, she gained a lot of life skills, including English.
Sheila also said that the JKM had provided her with a RM450 allowance since 2015.
They have also assisted Sheila in buying basic dry foods, which enabled her to begin her own mini-grocery business at home.
“My grocery store is well-received by the people, but it is barely surviving since the world was hit by COVID-19 in 2020, and on top of that, with the rising cost of commodities, I can only sell Maggi instant noodles and occasionally eggs.
“I really hope that one day I will be able to revive my mini-grocery store by selling more necessities, which I feel would not only please the villagers (because they won’t have to travel to Kota Samarahan to get their necessities), but will also help increase my income,” she said, adding that she is still raising funds to revive her store.
She said that she is still dealing with the JKM over her allowance, which was terminated (in March of this year) because they claimed she had quit her job, despite the fact that she has never worked and only sells groceries at home.
Sheila speculated that the department may think she is no longer employed because she hasn’t provided them with any reports (because she can only sell Maggi instant noodles).
“I will do everything in my power to ensure that I receive this financial assistance again because it is important for me to help raise capital,” she said.
To be continued
