A very special time
RAMADAN has always held special meaning for Dr Hielmi Syaiful-nizam Shamsuddin and his family. Since he was a child, the fasting month has been a time where the family comes together in prayer.
They also share a special Ramadan tradition of preparing buka puasa meals together, under the guidance of the family chef, mum Noriza Abdul Hamid.
“Ramadan is always more important and more special than Hari Raya for our family.
“Hari Raya is often just a oneday celebration, but the month of Ramadan is more significant, both spiritually and also because of the traditions that our parents started since we were really young,” says Hielmi.
“During Ramadan, the day starts with sahur. My mum gets up really early to cook and then, she wakes us all up. We say our subuh prayers together before each of us goes about the day doing our own thing.
“In the evenings, we all help prepare the meal for buka puasa ... we joke that we’re are all mum’s sous chefs,” says the eldest of four children for Dr Shamsuddin Ibrahim and Noriza, who is a nurse.
Their meals are always homecooked: it’s all part of the family tradition of spending meaningful time with each other during Ramadan.
“We rarely go to bazaars. We break fast with some kuih or cake and drinks. After our Mahgrib prayers together, we tuck into our meal. After dinner, we’d go to the mosque together for terawih prayers. It’s always been like that,” say Dr Hielmi, who is an obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Sabah Women and Children Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.
Even though he has not lived at home since he left for medical school at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa in Kuantan, Pahang about 15 years ago, Dr Hielmi makes it a point to go home, at least for a week, for Ramadan. It is the same with this siblings, two of whom are also doctors while the third is an engineer.
“I’ve been in Sabah for 10 years and I’ve always spent a week of Ramadan every year with my family in KL. Sometimes, I don’t even make it back for Raya ... but returning for Ramadan has always been a must,” he says.
However, things haven’t been the same since the pandemic. Last year, Dr Hielmi wasn’t able to return home as he was working and studying for his specialist training exams in Britain when the pandemic broke.
This year, though he’s back, safe and sound, in Malaysia and has been immunised against Covid-19, he still isn’t certain if he will be able to make it home.
“To be honest, I have been so busy at work, I actually forgot that Ramadan was starting on Tuesday until a colleague reminded me a day before. But, when I got vaccinated a couple of weeks back, I excitedly called my parents to tell them that I’d be able to come home.
However, now I am not sure it will be possible what with the numbers still high and with a possible fourth wave coming.
“I will still try to take leave to go back even if it is just for a few days. My dad is also a doctor and my mum is a nurse and so they should be getting their vaccinations soon. But as my brother puts it, we are all kind off numb about the situation since we’ve been through it all last year. We’re not pinning our hopes on anything.
“My brother, also a doctor, is in Sandakan and he too will not be able to go home. So I guess it’s another year that we will be away,” says the 35-year-old.
As a frontliner, life has been hectic and there isn’t much time to dwell on what he will be missing back home. In fact, he is grateful that he is able to help treat those in need in times of crisis like this. In fact, the
British government offered all immigrant doctors visa extensions to help with the Covid-19 battle there but Dr Hielmi chose to come how to serve his country.
“Although I am in the hospital’s Covid (response) team, I am not in the thick of it like the frontliners in primary care. In O&G I focus on treating mothers who are Covid19 positive and most of them recover well although there have been some cases that were serious.
“At the moment, things in the maternity ward are not bad, thankfully. But, during the third wave last year, which is when I got back from the UK, it was very tiring,” he shares.
As ready as he is to face the possibility of missing Ramadan with his family, Dr Hielmi – who, like his siblings under the guidance of their mum, is an accomplished cook – reckons that he will be re-creating many of the dishes his mum cooks during Ramadan.
“When I am stressed, I try to focus on something that I can look forward to ... and being someone who likes to travel that something is usually a holiday. But now that we can’t travel, I look forward to spending time on my hobbies.
“Cooking is one of my hobbies and during Ramadan, I tend to remember and recreate the dishes my mum cooks. Yesterday, it was masak lemak telur itik,” he shares.