MUAR: He used to assist rescue services as a member of the Muar Civil Defence Force before losing his left arm to soft tissue cancer, a battle so exhaustive that for a while, Sapiee Md Ali felt he had no more fight left in him.

       The 36-year-old, however, adopted a positive outlook on life and slowly clawed his way out from years of darkness.

       He found a job at a petrol station along Jalan Sulaiman here to earn a living and raise his family.

       “I struggled with the illness for years and my condition worsened. I had to undergo four surgeries to amputate my arm about 11 years ago.

       “It took me some time to cope with having only one arm and the reality that I could no longer help others in disasters and emergency response like I used to.

       “I felt awkward initially, but I kept telling myself to be brave and take what life has given me because there are others who have it worse than me,” he said in an interview with The Star.

       Sapiee said his daily tasks at the petrol station include helping customers fill up their tanks and climbing on top of tankers to help with the unloading of petrol.

       “It is no doubt a challenge to do things with only one arm but after a while, I got used to it and it feels natural to me now.

       “The most important thing is not to look down or feel ashamed of yourself and have faith that you can do what most normal people can do,” added the father of five children.

       Sapiee enjoys working at the petrol station, where he has been an employee for four years, as he has a colleague who also has a disability, so they can share their experience.

       Abdul Hamid Ibrahim, 38, had been working as a pump attendant for more than 13 years.

       He said he has been suffering from visual impairment since he was eight years old after a spinning top that he was playing with his friends injured his left eye.

       “I started working here recently after the previous petrol station where I worked changed management and decided to let some of the employees go.

       “I feel grateful towards my current employer for hiring and giving people with disabilities a chance to work and earn a living,” he said.

       Abdul Hamid also said he looked forward to interacting with customers the most, adding that they were mostly friendly although some were quite the opposite.

       “My most memorable experience was during Ramadan last year when a customer drove off while I was still filling up his petrol tank.

       “I was dragged a few steps forward before the car stopped and I ended up with a sprained wrist,” he recalled.