Hari Raya Puasa is meant to be a festival of gatherings and celebration. However, a tragedy recently unfolded shortly before the joyous holiday, a stark reminder that not everyone has the chance to celebrate special events with loved ones.
A group of trauma cleaners in Singapore attended to a case two days before Hari Raya, where an elderly man had died alone in a shophouse. No one noticed that the man had passed until liquid seeped into the shop below.
In the midst of carrying out their tasks, the trauma cleaners found a set of untouched Hari Raya outfit in a corner of the man’s room. The discovery was a poignant realisation for them that the elderly man was likely excited to celebrate the occasion before his passing.
The trauma cleaners from DDQ Services shared the tragic story on their TikTok page on Tuesday (25 Apr).
The short video showed a mattress soaked in fluids in a small shophouse unit. The surrounding floor was also covered in paper towels, used to absorb the fluids on the ground.
In the caption, DDQ wrote that they attended to this case just two days before Hari Raya Puasa or Aidilfitri. An elderly Malay man had died alone in a small rental unit above a shophouse.
Apparently, his body was only discovered when the odour and fluids seeped through the floor, into the shop below. That was when the shop owner found the deceased.
Source: @ddqservices on TikTok
DDQ shared that when they entered the room, the liquid on the ground was ankle-deep. It was a mix of water from a choked sewage pipe, bodily fluids, and liquid from the decaying process. Maggots were also swimming around in the liquid.
The cleaners called this a “distressing” scene, and said that they felt overwhelmed by the tragedy.
Perhaps even sadder was that the cleaners found a set of untouched Hari Raya outfit hanging neatly in the corner of the room. According to them, there was a pair of baju kurung, a samping, and a pair of shoes.
However, the video did not show the outfit that the cleaners found.
“These items stood in stark contrast to the horrifying scene surrounding them, and they served as a poignant reminder of the Pakcik’s anticipation for the upcoming Raya celebration,” DDQ wrote.
The cleaners later learnt from the shop owner that the deceased had no family or relatives. Despite that, he was still looking forward to Hari Raya and the celebrations even if he had nobody to spend it with.
Source: @ddqservices on TikTok
The deceased was also purportedly looking forward to finally owning a home to call his own before his untimely passing.
Following the experience, DDQ reminded viewers of the importance of cherishing the relationships and moments that bring us happiness.
They also urged others to extend a helping hand to those who may be going through hardships alone.
“It taught me to hold on to hope even in the darkest of times, for life is fleeting, and we never know when our own story might come to an end,” the admin behind the account reflected.
We hope that despite the unpleasant circumstances in which his death was discovered, the elderly man passed away peacefully in his abode. We also hope that his final rites were done smoothly and that anyone who knew him was informed of his passing.
Thank you to trauma cleaners like DDQ for cleaning up after the deceased and helping to ease countless families’ troubles during difficult times.
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Featured image adapted from @ddqservices on TikTok and Carousell. Image on the right for illustration purposes only.
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