Life has not been easy for Nur Syarafina. Her life had been fraught with challenges one after another; her parents’ divorce, breast cancer diagnosis, nervous system pain caused by her chemotherapy treatment, and her husband’s accident. As financial schemes dwindled over time, Singapore Red Cross Family LifeAid came to the family’s aid with monthly supermarket vouchers. The vouchers were able to ease their financial burdens and put food on the table for the family.

Nur Syarafina’s parents divorced when she was five. She and her brother had to relocate frequently as her parents alternated their caregiving responsibilities every few years. 

To supplement her family’s income, she worked as a part-time inflight cleaner at the airport when she was in Secondary 3. She was 16 years old then as she had repeated a year of secondary school education. It was at the airport where she met her husband, Mohammad Ferroz, who was also an inflight cleaner. However, they were just friends back then. Towards the end of that year, her secondary school education was brought to an abrupt halt when she relocated to Malaysia to live with her father for two years. 

Nur Syarafina returned to Singapore when she was 19, and she dabbled in various roles in customer service, banquet operations, administration and events at hotels, restaurants and a fitness club. She also reconnected with her husband and dated him for a few years before tying the knot in 2011 when she was 25.

Fighting Breast Cancer and the Resultant Nervous System Pain

In 2015, Nur Syarafina was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy while pregnant with her second child. Though she was concerned about having to abort her child, the doctor assured her that the chemotherapy would be safe for both mother and child. The delivery of her baby boy, who is currently six years old, was smooth and safe. Nur Syarafina also recovered from breast cancer in 2017 and has been declared cancer-free since 2019. 

After recovering, she worked as a receptionist at a hair salon in 2017 and 2018 to supplement her family’s income. She subsequently took some courses and became a salon assistant. 

Despite being 35 years old, Nur Syarafina suffers from frail health and severe pain in her nervous system due to the detrimental effects of chemotherapy. The excruciating pain compelled her to stop working in 2019. 

“I can hardly hold a pen for one or two minutes. It impacts my daily life as I am unable to work and cook. I am constantly on painkillers,” she said. 

Family’s Sole Breadwinner Met with an Accident 

That was not the only setback the family encountered. Nur Syarafina’s husband, Mohammad Ferroz met with an accident in April 2020. 

“I was on an e-bike. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital with no idea as to what had happened. The police informed me that the camera did not detect any foul play or any vehicle nearby,” shared 34-year-old Mohammad Ferroz. 

It was plausible that he had hit something and landed on the floor. The accident damaged his prefrontal lobe, which impaired his cognitive functions. This resulted in symptoms like forgetfulness, frequent headaches, loss of smell and taste, and a lack of balance which led to mobility issues. To ensure his brain’s frame is intact, doctors implanted titanium to replace his broken skull. He was discharged last August after having been hospitalised for three months.

Struggling with Finances

Fortunately, Mohammad Ferroz’s medical bills were covered by insurance, Medisave and Medifund. The family is also thankful for the various financial assistance schemes from religious groups that helped his family navigate through the challenging period from January to June 2021. However, financial assistance has since dwindled. 

“Thankfully, the kind-hearted boss of the company I used to work in as a Marketing Executive, enabled me to work on a part-time basis after I obtained the doctor’s consent in February 2021. I work once or twice weekly and I am paid for the tasks completed that day,” he explained.  

Yet, the salary that Mohammad Feroz earns from working part-time is barely sufficient to foot the monthly bills. The monthly bills include household utilities, school fees for their 6-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter, transportation fees, allowance for his mother who has ovarian cancer and for his mother-in-law who has blood complexities, and his wife who grapples with nervous system problems from her chemotherapy. 

Putting Food on the Table for the Family

Fortunately, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. A social service worker from a Family Service Centre referred Mohammad Ferroz’s family to the Singapore Red Cross (SRC). Upon enrolling in SRC’s Family LifeAid programme in July 2021, the family received monthly supermarket vouchers. 

This enabled Mohammad Ferroz to purchase groceries, frozen food and home supplies for his family. This has helped to ease the family’s financial burden significantly.  

“We were at our wit’s end when the financial assistance schemes dwindled. We did not know who would come to our aid after June 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As adults, we don’t mind that we do not have food. But our children need food. The vouchers provided by the Singapore Red Cross enable us to put food on the table for our family. Thank you, Singapore Red Cross”, he acknowledged.

When asked about the hopes and aspirations for the future, Mohammad Ferroz said, “I hope we will be in a better place so our children can grow up well and have a better future.”

By Sondra Foo, Corporate Communications
Copyedited by Kimberly Seah, Volunteer