The Health | jan/Feb, 2020
10
Issue: Polio Outbreak
Walking High
This is the story of Pak Sheikh, the boy with polio who,
againts all odds, grew up to be a champion
W
hen we were given the
chance to interview Pak
Sheikh, we thought we
were just going to talk
about his experience living
with the disease polio. We
did, but our conversation grew from knowing
about his hardship as a kid growing up in pre-
independent Malaysia in Kelantan to becoming
a social commentary on Malaysians living in
pre-independent Malaysia themselves.
Pak Sheikh’s story is a story of tragedy, a
story of a boy’s determination, a boy’s perse-
verance, his mother’s love, his comedic outlook
on things, and above all else, his strut to be the
best person he can be.
His condition
Emeritus Professor Dato Dr Sheikh Omar
Abdul Rahman was born in 1946, Kelantan.
He was the sixth out of 10 siblings, and he was
born a little different than his brothers and
sisters.
According to Datok Dr Sheikh (or Pak
Sheikh, as he likes to be called), he was born
with poliomyelitis. Poliomyelitis, or polio for
short, is a disabling and life-threatening dis-
ease cause by the poliovirus. It typically causes
severe paralysis for the people infected, and
can even lead to death if the virus spreads into
the brain.
Pak Sheikh was born with his right leg
paralysed. And because he never had control
over the leg from birth, no muscle has ever
developed there. He tells that he was basically
living with a cane as a right leg, an unbending
and stiff cane that looks different than other
kids around him.
People said the boy walked funny, and the
boy himself concurred.
His adversaries
The boy’s story started when he became a
standard one student in primary school. The
school wasn’t that far according to him, and as
any headstrong kid would do, he was adamant
in walking to school on his own.
Little did he know that he would meet his
first adversary along that road.
The boy’s childhood home was located
near a timber plant, where timbers are
turned into wood products for furniture
and the likes. The road that he took was the
same road the timber-filled lorries drive on
Emeritus Professor
Dato Dr Omar Sheikh,
or Pak Sheikh as he
likes to be called,
is the founder and
CEO of his own
consulting company,
SOAR Consulting. He
gives talks and train
corporate executives
in becoming good
leaders.
Fact
Poliomyelitis,
or polio for short,
is a disabling and
lifetreathening
disease cause by
the poliovirus
to and from the plant.
There was one particular lorry – a particular
lorry driver to be exact, who had a personal
vendetta against the boy walking funny along
the stretch of road.
That lorry driver would pull-over on the side
of the road, looks at him, called him names,
and literally spat at him for walking funny.
The lorry driver then went back on the road
as if his incredibly barbaric action towards a
seven-year-old was just part of the routine.
And the challenge the boy faced didn’t end
there. The year was 1953, and the school uni-
form consisted of a buttoned-up shirt, shorts,
and white shoes. For the boy, the shorts were
a curse, as it meant showing the world the leg
that was different than everyone else’s.
His schoolmates were quick to point out
his uniqueness. In a matter of days, the
boy became the object of ridicule by other
kids. His so-called ‘friends’ started limping
and walking funny as he would every time
Pak Sheikh walked down a road in his childhood town, full of determination and perseverance to become the best
person he can be.
they see him.
He even remembered the name they always
called him by. “Kaki gajah, betis kancil,” Pak
Sheikh recalls. It loosely translates to ‘elephant
foot with deer calve’.
His mom, his strength
It is safe to say that after all that torment from
his peers (and one evil lorry driver), the damage
to his self-worthiness was done. His first day
in school opened his eyes to the cruelty of life.
He came back home with swollen eyes, and
a heart void of any self-esteem. He broke down
again, this time in the laps of his mother. He
cried and told of the evil people who made fun
of him. He felt little, worthless, and drained.
His mother’s words however, filled the boy
with a warm, calming feeling. The boy’s mother
said:
“Omar, the only thing wrong with you is
your leg, and it’s only your right leg. You can
still walk, you can still go to school, you can still
do whatever you want to do. There are people
out there who doesn’t even have legs to walk
on. Be grateful dear. Be grateful to God that you
are what you are.”
His mother’s voice penetrated, and it
penetrated deep in his mind. “Yes, I can walk,
I can go to school, I can do whatever I want,”
he thought to himself. He felt alright again. He
washed away the bad juju from his mind, and
got ready for the next day.
The day he found himself
Despite his mother’s calming words, the teas-
ing, jeering, and spitting went on, and the boy
cried and cried each time he went home.
The days became weeks, weeks became
months, and months became years. The teas-
ing however, continued. The boy grew, taller
and weightier. Now at standard three, the boy
continues to be the butt of every joke at school.
And he still cried every time he gets home.
Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little, because
the teasing was sometimes intense, and some-
times mild.