Rising above adversity
The teenager who lost her limbs in an accident is now training to be a Paralympian.
LOSING a limb can mean more than the end of mobility for most people; it is often the precursor to crushed dreams. But for Siti Nuraisyah Sahrin, losing both her legs led to a new dream.
The 13-year-old victim of a hitand-run accident in January this year is vying for a spot in the national Paralympic team. And she plans to do so in weightlifting.
Since October, Siti Nuraisyah has been training twice a week.
“Aisyah trains every Thursday and Friday, from 4.30pm to 6.30pm at Pusat Latihan Tinju Sungai Besar,” said her stepfather Roslan Sardi, 40, at his house in Parit 16, Sungai Panjang, Selangor.
Her interest was spurred by volunteer coach Mohd Nor Arif Abdullah who trains athletes and feeds them into the national programme.
“I followed Aisyah’s case through the newspapers and saw many were helping her materially. But it was unclear whether anyone was helping her emotionally.”
So Mohd Nor met the girl and her family and suggested she take up powerlifting.
“There is low participation in the women’s category, so she has a good chance of making it big.”
Mohd Nor added that sports aids recovery.
“Instead of sitting at home and feeling depressed, it is better if Aisyah is involved in sports as it encourages her to interact with others, and builds confidence and responsibility,” he said.
From Dec 14 to 18, Siti Nuraisyah, who currently represents Selangor, attended try-outs at the Kompleks Sukan Paralimpik in Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur. Her moth- er, Maimunah Md Razali, 48, accompanied her. The results will be announced in January.
For now, Siti Nuraisyah has her eyes set on the 2017 Asean Para Games here from Sept 17 to 23.
And she doesn’t just want to take part; this plucky girl hopes to take home gold in the 50kg category.
“My target is for her to get a gold medal there,” said her coach.
Siti Nuraisyah has also set a target for herself: “I would like to be able to lift 60kg by next year.”
According to her father, she has lifted up to 50kg during practice.
Eventually, she aims to represent Malaysia in the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020. She will be 17 then.
“I am encouraging her to represent Malaysia in Tokyo. It is not easy to push her. Sometimes, she is happy, sometimes, she is in a bad mood. So her mother and I have to be very patient,” said Roslan.
“In the beginning, I took 15 minutes to an hour to get Aisyah to lift the bar, depending on her mood,” said Mohd Nor.
“I know how she feels because I too was able-bodied and am now disabled. But disability is not an obstacle. I can do everything. I just can’t move quickly – that’s it.
“Aisyah is very young. She could be a Paralympian. She could be a champion, that is up to her.
“I can train her and teach her the techniques, but the torch is in her hands.”
Apart from weightlifting, Siti Nuraisyah also likes badminton. Her idol is Datuk Lee Chong Wei.
This year, she is learning how to play the drums from her father, after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak gave her a drum set when he visited her in June.
Roslan said Najib said he couldn’t fathom what she was going through and admired her spirit.
Najib isn’t the only one who felt that way. In January, the story of Siti Nuraisyah, who lost both her legs after she was run over by a lorry, shocked the nation.
She had been riding pillion with her stepsister, Shamin Amira Roslan, on their way home from school when a car grazed their motorcycle, causing Shamin Amira to lose control.
Siti Nuraisyah was thrown onto the middle of the road and run over by a lorry. The lorry driver sped off and has not been caught.
Her left leg was amputated above the ankle while her right one was amputated below the knee.
Malaysians responded to her plight and aid poured in.
Persatuan Orang Kota Bharu and Ronald McDonald House Charities have taken on Siti Nuraisyah as their ‘anak angkat’, while school uniform manufacturer Canggih has offered to sponsor her uniforms yearly. The Higher Education Ministry gave her a motorised scooter.
Her school, SMK Bagan Terap in Sabak Bernam, moved her class to a room on the ground floor. They built a special needs toilet and five pathways for her to access the canteen, laboratories and move around the school premises.
To ease her mobility at home, the toilet was renovated to fit a wheelchair and rails were installed. The house was extended so she would be able to move freely without knocking into things.
Siti Nuraisyah now moves around independently on her scooter. She does not talk much, but soldiers on, calm and collected.
“Her mother and I nearly blacked out when we saw her shattered limbs,” said Roslan.
“We both cried, but Aisyah never did, which puzzled us. She just sat there silently, and said it was all ‘like a dream’.”
He said she has accepted the situation: “She has never said she is sad. She is very strong. She has been like that since young.”
Maimunah agrees: “I was sad to see her suffer (in the hospital) but she was all right the whole time.”
But being parents, they worry for her.
“We have to be patient in helping Aisyah. We have to do the best for her. As long as she is happy, I am happy,” said Roslan.
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