Over the weekend, a Facebook post uploaded by the A Linn Saydanar charity group with pictures and videos of an elderly man who had been abandoned by his family went viral and tugged at the hearts of tens of thousands of Myanmar netizens.
According to the post — which was written by a member of the charity group — the old man was so weak that he had fallen into a gutter by the road and was unable to get up. By the time a group of children saw him, no one knew how long he had been lying there. The kids managed to pull him out, and a kindhearted woman who lived nearby took him into her own home despite his being a complete stranger, and nursed him back to health. However, she was unable to look after an ailing elderly man while maintaining a full-time job, so she contacted an acquaintance who in turn reached out to the charity group.
When they got to the house, the man explained through tears that his daughter had deserted him because he had become a burden. The photos of the 69-year-old man are heartwrenching, and clearly convey his sorrow and loneliness.
Along with the pictures, a video was also uploaded that shows him obviously distressed and unable to stop crying. The caretakers around him repeatedly try to keep his spirits up, telling him, “When you get there [to the old age home], you’ll have lots of children” and that “We’re sending you somewhere where you’ll be happy.” The charity staff also promise him that they’ll be there every day, and the woman who took him in tells him that she’ll come visit every week.
If the uncle’s sobbing wasn’t enough to make you start crying yourself, the woman is also heard explaining to the charity group: “He was covered in urine and feces [when I found him]. If I hadn’t taken him in, he would’ve died.”
The person behind the post writes, “How much can a father eat?” — a sentiment that is echoed in the thousands of comments below by users who were equally appalled and furious at the daughters’ actions.
One person writes: “How can a child who doesn’t want to take care of their parents be successful in life? Whatever personal difficulties you’re facing, you have to respect your parents.” Another comments: “What disrespectful children. Don’t you know that parents are irreplaceable?”
While it’s horrific that the uncle was deserted so carelessly, we’re glad that the story has a somewhat happy ending. Ultimately reminding you of the good in humanity, the post concludes: “To the daughter — please know that we’ve brought him to the YGW nursing home where he’ll be happy and looked after. We’ll treat him like our own father and help him with whatever health needs he requires…. We hope that a ba’s [uncle’s] daughter finds this message.”
The post has been shared over 25,000 times (at time of writing), so here’s hoping it does reach her somehow, wherever and whomever she may be.
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