Thursday September 20, 2012

Hui Yi tried to live a normal life despite pain, says friend

BATU PAHAT: Miracle girl Tee Hui Yi's life was not easy as her childhood friend and schoolmate Fatimah Johari, 19, can attest.

“Hui Yi had to live with a lot of pain growing up. She wanted to lead a normal life and in many ways she did except when you noticed the tubes sticking out of her body,” she said, referring to the mechanical heart that kept her alive before she underwent two heart transplants in 2007.

Fatimah said Hui Yi tried to play like other children her age but was restricted due to her health condition.

“I admired her positive spirit but it was also sad to see her staring at us from the sidelines especially during Physical Education,” she said when met at the funeral parlour here yesterday.

A last goodbye: Fatimah bringing flowers to the funeral parlour along Jalan Fatimah in Batu Pahat.

Fatimah said that she was shocked to hear Hui Yi had died on Tuesday as she had wanted to visit her soon.

“She was so happy when the last transplant went well and had so many plans,” she said, adding that it was a sad ending to a beautiful story.

Hui Yi's aunt Faridah Sampe, 57, said her death was a shock.

“She was slowly recovering from the transplant and had become such a strong and lovely girl,” she said.

Hui Yi had stayed with her in Kuala Lumpur while recovering from the operation and would put up at her house whenever she needed to go for a check-up at the National Heart Institute (IJN).

Although Hui Yi insisted she was fine, Faridah suspected something amiss when she went to IJN for her last checkup on Sept 3.

She said Hui Yi's face looked bloated and she seemed weak.

“She assured me everything was all right,” said Faridah, adding she would miss chatting with Hui Yi over home-made nasi lemak which was her favourite.

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