Despite being confined to a wheelchair, and having to undergo dialysis(透析) three times a week, an English teacher at SK Peroh is more eager than ever to teach her students, and has never taken any sick or special leave.

Zarina Abdullah, 50, who has been a teacher for 27 years, was confined to a wheelchair two years ago after both her knees were injured seriously. “At first, I fell down at home, and that hurt my left knee. After that I started using a walking stick to school, but just four months later, I once again fell in front of the class, which damaged my right knee this time, and since then, I have had to rely on a wheelchair. Actually, surgery could enable me to walk again, but on the advice of my doctor, I did not go ahead with it because the risk was too high, as I have been suffering from kidney(肾) disease for the past 15 years, and heart disease for the past 10 years,” she said when we met at the school.

Zarina said as soon as she finished the classes every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, she would have to rush to the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital (HSNZ) in Kuala Terengganu for dialysis.

“At 2:30 pm, I’d go to HSNZ for dialysis, where each treatment would take more than four hours. Every Monday, I also undergo other treatment at the hospital. Indeed, it is quite exhausting when I return home late at night after undergoing treatment. And the next day I have to go to school to teach, but I do not regard it as a big trouble, and I will certainly come to school to teach my students for I am interested in my job,” she said. Zarina said she also sought treatment at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur every four months, depending on the state of her health.