16 Years On, The Suffering Continues

HULU TERENGGANU: The 16-year ordeal of being a victim of acid attack by her own biological father is not yet over for Nurul Dahyatul Fazlinda Mat Haizan, 24, who continues her fight to recover from serious facial injuries.

To date, she has not only undergone five surgeries since 2010, but also has to travel back and forth to Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) every month for laser treatment to soften her facial skin.

“Last year, I underwent the most challenging procedure, which was surgery to insert a tissue expander (a medical balloon to stretch the skin) on my forehead.

“That 10-hour procedure was extremely painful as the tissue expander was inserted into my forehead before medication was injected periodically to expand the skin for the next surgery,” she said when met at her home in Kampung Sekayu here yesterday.

Nurul Dahyatul Fazlinda said the skin from her forehead was then used to reconstruct her nose, which was damaged by the acid attack.

She, who is affectionately known as Lin, said the nose reconstruction procedure also used part of her cartilage.

Nurul Dahyatul showing her photo before undergoing surgery at HKL last year and the condition of her face after being attacked with acid by her father 16 years ago.
“Previously, I had difficulty breathing as my nasal passages had become increasingly narrow due to scar tissue that caused my facial skin to lose its elasticity.

“Alhamdulillah, I can now breathe much better after that surgery. However, I still need to undergo another surgery at the end of this year to reconstruct my nose bone,” she said.

She said she is deeply indebted to the Terengganu Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council, which covered the cost of purchasing the tissue expander, as well as Seputeh Member of Parliament, Teresa Kok, who helped fund her treatment costs and travel to HKL.

She, who helps her mother, Che Ku Zaimah Che Ku Awang, 44, run a food stall in front of their house, remains optimistic that her face will fully recover in a few more years, even though she now has to treat HKL like a second home.

The condition of Nurul Dahyatul Fazlinda’s face after the acid attack 16 years ago.
Meanwhile, Lin has forgiven her father, who was released from prison several years ago, and holds no grudges against him.

She considers the incident, which also injured her mother, Che Ku Zaimah, and her younger brother, Mohd. Irfan Firdaus, 19, on August 15, 2010, as a test in her life.

“I accept this test with patience and am willing to undergo all the treatments prescribed for years to ensure my health improves,” she said.

Members of the public who wish to contribute can channel their donations to account number 1150041000040457 (Bank Simpanan Nasional).

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