DUE to genetic factors, a mother and her two children suffered from diabetes as early as their teens, with one of them now at a chronic stage that has affected her kidney function.
Former kindergarten cook, Siti Fauziah Zakaria, 45, said she had diabetes since the age of 17 and the disease was also inherited by her two daughters, including one who is still a teenager.
According to the woman, the disease has a long history in her family when eight of Siti Fauziah's 12 siblings were diagnosed with diabetes, while two of them and her parents died from complications of the same disease.
“I started getting sick since I was a teenager and now my two children are suffering from diabetes.
“One of them now has stage three kidney failure,” she said when met by Sinar Harian at her PPR in Kampung Gual Sitok, Rantau Panjang in Pasir Mas.
Siti Fauziah said that her eldest child, Nur Syafina Syukri, 24, whose kidney function was affected, has suffered from diabetes since the age of 12, while her third child, Nur Syamila, 16, was confirmed to have the same disease since the age of 11.
“Nur Syafina has suffered from four festering wounds, especially in the abdomen, over 15 centimetres long and seven centimetres deep, and has suffered from blisters on the back of her body and toes.
"My health condition is also deteriorating as I also suffer from high blood pressure and kidney problems, in addition to frequently experiencing wounds that are slow to heal," she said.
According to her, she previously worked as a cook, doing her work while sitting in a chair, but was forced to stop after the kindergarten closed its operations, coupled with her deteriorating health.
She added that her youngest child, Nur Syaza Azahra, 13, was born with a physical disability (OKU) and is partially paralyzed due to a spinal problem and requires close monitoring. – December 20, 2025
