While most people would choose to remain bitter about their unfortunate circumstances, transformation coach and author Herley Abdul Hamid, is on a mission to inspire Malaysians to live a meaningful life through humility and gratitude.
After experiencing burnout at work some years back, Herley took time off for some serious introspection and decided that instead of focusing on making a fortune, he wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.
A father of two and a husband to a teacher, Herley’s inspiration to live a meaningful life emanates from his 16-year-old son Haziq, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth.
“He is blind and was born with cerebral palsy. He can’t walk, he can’t talk and, on many occasions, he was labelled ‘disabled’,” Herley tells FMT about his son’s condition.
Haziq has been through numerous near-death situations throughout his life. On more than one occasion, doctors gave up hope. Despite all this, Haziq fights his struggles with an inspiring cheerfulness.
Haziq’s immense strength and courage to persevere despite his disorder, was the inspiration behind Herley’s first book titled “Living with Meaning”, which he wrote and published in 2016.
The money that Herley earned from the book was donated to the Spastic Children’s Association of Selangor and Federal Territory which played an important role in his son’s educational journey.
“Left with just his hearing abilities, my son is bedridden. He is fed milk through a tube to a stoma (artificial opening) that was put in place 12 years ago,” explains Herley, who notes that it has been years since Haziq consumed solid food.
Due to the nature of his work, Herley has always been travelling around the world. Naturally, he sought the help of long-term maids to assist with taking care of Haziq.
Among the three maids that have helped, he particularly remembers Rukamah, a gracious woman who was constantly at Haziq’s side, especially during the family’s visits to New Zealand and Australia.
According to Herley, she was very diligent in managing Haziq’s five feeding times.
“For five years, she would wake up early every day to feed him at 6am and would only head to bed after his last feed, close to midnight. That equates to around 10,000 feeding sessions,” recounts Herley on Rukamah’s caring and attentive disposition towards Haziq.
For the time being, Herley and his family have decided to care for their son without the extra help, a decision that did not come lightly.
After their last maid was sent home due to health reasons, Herley and his wife decided to make full use of their work-from-home arrangements and care for Haziq themselves.
With the current Covid-19 situation worsening in Malaysia, Herley has decided to share the complete copy of his first book, for free.
He hopes his book will inspire those who are struggling to get through these difficult times and feeling on the brink of giving up.
Though the soft copy of the book is available free of charge, Herley has included the details of the Spastic Children’s Association, in the hope that readers will make donations to help other kids like Haziq.
Herley also believes that “Living with Meaning” will serve as his son’s legacy for years to come.
“This is the true story of my son. It is his legacy when he leaves this world. He won’t be able to go to school and become a scientist who’ll change the world but I hope this humble sharing will help others overcome their tough times”, shares Herley.
And that’s just it – Herley and his son Haziq are a timely reminder that no matter the challenge, everyone should strive to make the best out of a difficult situation.
If you’d like to check out “Living with meaning” and donate to others just like Haziq, you can download his book here.