Although helpers start out as strangers to their employers, it is not uncommon for them to become treasured members of the family as time passes.
This was clearly the case for one domestic helper in Malaysia whose employers threw a surprise birthday celebration for her.
The surprise led her to burst into tears. It was also especially significant considering she had never celebrated her birthday before.
Thanking the helper for taking good care of her children, the employer said that she had always viewed her as one of their own despite not sharing any familial ties.
The surprise was documented in a TikTok video by the helper’s employer, Malaysian female makeup entrepreneur Afzalizah Azizan.
@afzalizahazizanMenangis teresak-esak bibik dapat surprise 🥹🫂♬ original sound – Afzalizahnizam
At the time, Ms Afzalizah and her family had been dining out with the helper.
To the helper’s surprise, a woman suddenly walked out with a cake and put it in front of her.
Confusion came over her face as she struggled to understand what was happening.
As Ms Afzalizah and her family began singing the birthday song to her, realisation finally dawned on the helper.
When she saw that the words ‘Happy birthday bibik’ (a Malay term for ‘helper’) had been written on the cake, tears of surprise began to roll down her face.
In the video, Ms Afzalizah revealed that no one had ever celebrated her helper’s birthday with her before.
This revelation caused her and her family to choke up as well, and all of them teared up in unison.
As the celebration went on, the helper could be seen getting increasingly emotional.
What really opened the floodgates, however, was when Ms Afzalizah presented a birthday gift to the helper.
As she began to sob, Ms Afzalizah took her in her arms and embraced her.
Throughout the video, Ms Afzalizah expressed her heartfelt thoughts and gratitude towards her helper.
Although she and her helper do not have blood ties, she has never considered her an outsider, she said.
She then thanked the helper for always taking good care of her children and for not being calculative of the time and energy spent.
“I’m not a good employer,” she admitted in the video. “But I always try my best to make those around me happy.”
Although it may have looked like a simple birthday celebration to some, there is no doubt that it meant the world to the helper.
Here’s hoping this is only the first of many more happy birthdays to come for her.
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Featured image adapted from @afzalizahazizan on TikTok.
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