How far would you go for love?
For this elderly man in Johor, he is willing to travel 100km everyday up north to Melaka for the sake of his bedridden wife.
Meet 64-year-old Mr Md Zin Ahmad, who makes the journey everyday by bus so he can sell salted fish and use his earnings to support his sick wife.
To give ninjas further reason to cut onions around you, this endearing salted fish uncle is stricken with illness himself. He suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure.
To those who have travelled to Melaka before and think he looks familiar, that’s because Mr Md Zin’s tale has gone viral before.
In late 2017, Twitter user Aya shared his encounter with Mr Md Zin at Melaka Sentral station shortly after the elderly arrived from Johor.
His tweet, having garnered over 34,000 shares and 10,000 likes since, is translated as:
This uncle comes to Melaka Sentral station everyday from Muar, Johor. He sells salted fish to support his sick wife. He has received aid but it isn’t enough. He was so happy when I took his photo. He requested for me to make his story go viral.
Come, netizens of Twitter who are courteous and virtuous.
About 2 years later, Mr Md Zin’s story is viral again thanks to Twitter user Aina Wardina. She posted on Saturday (3 Aug) saying that she wants to help him.
Her tweet that has over 25,700 retweets, is translated as:
For Allah I want to help this uncle, his wife is sick. He comes to Dataran Pahlawan in Melaka everyday. Everyone, support this uncle. Please retweet.
In her replies, Aina said the salted fish uncle may look a tad fierce, but he is very nice. “Maybe he shouts because he’s tired of travelling here and there,” she wrote.
According to local social news portal Siakap Keli, the uncle sells 3 packets of salted fish for $3.30 (RM10).
Aina reportedly felt pity for the elderly man when he was walking around the square — a famous tourist destination in Melaka. He got ignored by almost everyone.
She related,
I saw him going round the same place for a while. He even started shouting at one point, trying to get people to buy. Maybe he was tired.
Aina added that the uncle was sweating from all that walking around in the heat. His shirt was visibly drenched.
In these viral tweets, we get to know more about the salted fish uncle’s story. Many say they’ve been seeing him around for years, trying to earn an honest living until today.
This Twitter user said he has seen the uncle cry before, because no one paid any attention to him.
The tweet in English goes as follows:
Sometimes I see him at Dataran Pahlawan. I’ve seen him cry because no one cared about his sales. It’s pitiful but I can only give him what I can afford.
Another Twitter user wrote that he’s seen this uncle since 2012, selling salted fish. He urged the public to donate money to help him.
This is what the user had to say, translated in English:
I’ve seen this uncle since I was in Form 1 in 2012, always selling salted fish. Until now, he’s still struggling for his wife. Please somebody help him or make a donation so that he doesn’t need to live through such hardship anymore 🙁
Fellow Twitter user Ayu vouched for the taste of Mr Md Zin’s salted fish, saying it’s delicious.
If we’ve learnt anything from the above, it’s that Twitter users are full of warmth and compassion. Many of them have no qualms rallying support to help make Uncle Md Zin’s life easier.
The sacrifices we make for love, don’t come easy. But clearly, this noble act comes naturally to Uncle Md Zin since he’s been doing it for years.
So, if you ever travel to Melaka – some 220km from Woodlands Checkpoint – and meet him, consider buying his salted fish to help support his sickly wife.
Should you wish to make a personal donation via bank transfer, you can click on the original tweet for details. A small act of kindness can truly make someone’s day.
Featured image adapted from Siakap Keli.
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