Azlan and his wife captured the nation’s attention after a photo of them and their 11-month-old child, who suffers from a chronic lung disease and relies on a respirator, was widely circulated on social media.
The family’s plight sparked an outpouring of donations and support, including from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
“I was moved and surprised when I found out that our story had reached the knowledge of the prime minister, but we were also very sad because we were worried about being criticised by netizens,” Azlan said.
“We were worried that people would say all kinds of things, but I am also grateful to netizens who made us viral, they helped us.”
According to Norhidayu, her husband works as a helper at a fishing rig and they do not own a car, forcing them to take the baby to hospital on a motorcycle.
“Taking taxis is expensive and we can’t afford that,” she said.
Azlan received about 100,000 ringgit (US$21,256) in donations from the public, part of which he set aside to buy a used car from a dealer.
But the owner recognised Azlan was the father of the baby boy in the viral photo and gifted him a vehicle that he intended to buy.
Norhidayu said her son needed to wear a continuous positive airway pressure machine full-time and experienced difficulty breathing if the device was taken off.
She added the crowdfunded cash would be used to replace the breathing aid and install an air conditioner at home to cope with the summer heat, The New Straits Times reported.
While many Malaysians stepped in to alleviate the family’s financial burden, some social media users questioned why the couple were not legally married and accused local religious officials of ignoring the issue, prompting a rebuke from a top Islamic cleric in Pahang state.
Abdul Rahman Osman said the religious department or the sharia court would handle the matter and urged the public not to interfere in it.
The country, for the most part, is governed by civil law while sharia legislation is a parallel system that deals with family matters such as deaths and marriages for the Malay-Muslim majority.