KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 ― A local NGO, Kechara Soup Kitchen (KSK), praised one of its former clients known as 'Uncle Durian' for his courage and positivity.

Uncle Durian had suffered injuries as a result of being stabbed after he tried to protect an elderly housemate in an incident at their home near Jalan Imbi.

According to KSK Marketing Director Justin Cheah, the perpetrator was mistreating Uncle Durian’s housemate at the time, which prompted him to step in and come between them.

"He wasn’t trying to invoke a fight or anything, but he was simply defending the uncle when suddenly the guy came in and stabbed him in the stomach.

"He had to be hospitalised due to his injuries and as someone has reported the incident, the police came and managed to nabbed the stabber soon after."

Cheah said that the incident took place in July and KSK had learned about the incident only after Uncle Durian had been discharged from the hospital three weeks later.

"We were wondering what happened to him because although he was a former client of ours, he would usually drop by our centre in Jalan Imbi to say hello and we would see him from time to time.

"Suddenly one of his housemates called us to inform us about Uncle Durian’s situation and that’s when we found out that he was actually suffering at home.

"Yes, he has received treatment at the hospital however after he was discharged, nobody helped him with his dressings,” Cheah said.

Upon learning about Uncle Durian’s predicament, KSK mobilised their medical team to assist their former client with his wound dressings and providing other medical care to him for the past few months.

After a series of treatments Uncle Durian is now recuperating well and is back on his feet and is able to continue with his day job.

Cheah added that all of them at KSK were taken aback and impressed with Uncle Durian for the positivity that he has shown throughout the incident.

"In a way, we see him as a hero because despite his condition, he still tried to protect the uncle.

"You see, out there, nobody actually cares about anyone else and here he is protecting this uncle and was seriously injured in the process but despite the injuries, his mindset is still very positive.

"Although something bad had happened to him, never once I heard him complaining or utter any word of complaint about the whole situation, he has a really strong character,” he said.

Cheah also said that Uncle Durian is known for his generosity as he would sometimes bring juice and fruits to the centre as a token of his gratitude to the KSK team despite trying to make ends meet himself.

In June, the story of Uncle Durian grabbed the attention of many after KSK shared a Facebook post on him donating durian to the KSK team as a token of gratitude.

Uncle Durian was previously homeless and had gone to KSK centre in Jalan Imbi to get daily hot meals.

KSK had assisted him with replacing his MyKad ast year, which helped in getting him a job, rent a room and rebuild his life.

Since then, he would often drop by the centre.

KSK actively helps the underprivileged around Malaysia and are dependent on public donations.

Members of the public who wish to donate or volunteer can visit KSK’s website here or contact 010-3333260.