Nurse puts career, marriage plans aside to care for father, brother

ALOR STAR: Giving up her nursing career and putting marriage plans on hold, N. Sailajah has devoted herself to caring for her ailing father and brother.

The 36-year-old former private hospital nurse said she had no regrets about leaving her job, as she considered caring for her family an obligation she was determined to fulfil.

The youngest of the siblings, Sailajah is now the primary caregiver for her father, R. Kanusamy, 80, who suffers from heart disease, kidney problems, impaired vision and the effects of a stroke.

Her brother, Thanabalan, 53, has also been wheelchair-bound since suffering a stroke in 2020.

Kanusamy, who had worked as a newspaper distributor in Alor Star since 1978, now needs to rest completely after suffering a fall at home in February last year.

"He had to undergo surgery at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital (HSB) after fracturing his right thigh in the fall.

"My brother, Thanabalan, 53, suffered a stroke in 2020. At the time, my mother and father helped care for him, but my mother died in July," she said when met at her home in Taman Indah, Titi Gajah, here today.

Sailajah said her nursing experience helped her care for both her father and brother, while she had also taken over the task of selling newspapers.

She said Thanabalan had previously helped support the family but could no longer work or walk after his stroke and now uses a wheelchair.

Sailajah said she had a boyfriend who understood her situation and was willing to wait until she was ready to marry.

"For now, I don't want to think about marriage. I want to take care of my father and brother first," she said.