JOHOR BARU: At the age of 14, Muhammad Danish Iman went out of his way to sell snacks to help his ailing mother pay for medical treatment.

Things were going well with him earning about RM50 daily plying his trade around shopping malls here, until tragedy struck last Friday.

Nur Hafizah Omar, 37, said her eldest son broke his left leg and fractured his jaw after falling from the first floor of their flat at PPR Sungai Tiram, and is now bedridden.

“The doctors said it will take at least five months for his leg to heal. They suggested surgery to insert screws in his jaw but the procedure was postponed due to my son’s history of seizures and asthma,” said Nur Hafizah, who is a cervical cancer patient.

She said Danish had also been saving up to buy his own motorcycle.

“Now, he is not even able to attend school,” she added.

She said the boy was scheduled for a follow-up at Hospital Sultan Ismail next week.

Meanwhile, Nur Hafizah said that a lack of funds was keeping her from getting the medical treatment she needed.

“I know there are many risks but I have no choice. I just leave it to God since I cannot afford the treatment,” she said.

Diagnosed with stage three cancer early last year, Nur Hafizah was advised to undergo a hysterectomy and chemotherapy.

But with her gardener husband earning just RM1,500 a month working at a school, the cost of treatment remained out of reach.

“After his salary is deducted for EPF and PERKESO contributions, all that is left is a meagre RM800.

“I only knew I had cancer during a routine postnatal check-up a year after giving birth to my fifth child,” she said, adding that she was trying traditional herbal remedies.

“I am not sure how far the cancer has spread. Lately, I get tired easily and am losing my hair, too.”

Econsave Cash and Carry Sdn Bhd has come forward to provide aid to the family in the form of basic goods and necessities worth RM1,300.

Its general manager Mas Imran Adam said the supermarket wanted to do its bit to help the family and appealed to others to help too.