By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Sept 13: Nurse Debra Moset returned home last week happy, spending time cooking, eating and caring for her children with her mother — unaware it would be their final time together.
Her mother, Renog Rasas, 71, said Debra returned to their home before leaving for Miri on Thursday (Sept 3), as she had to report for work the following day.
“She was so happy when she came back. We cooked, ate together and she took care of the children.
“Afterwards, she told me, ‘Mum, I have to go back to Miri first. I’m going to work again. Don’t be too occupied with us.’
“I told her it was okay and that she should go because she had to work,” Renog told reporters when met at their residence in Kampung Semadang, Puncak Borneo here today.
Debra later contacted her mother before boarding the flight to Long Lellang, asking her to help tidy up her new house as they planned to celebrate Christmas there together.
“She told me to stay with the grandchildren. She contacted me before the flight because once she went to the remote area, we would not be able to get hold of her.
“She said we would celebrate Christmas here,” Renog said.
But on Tuesday (Sept 8), the family received devastating news that the helicopter carrying Debra and others to Long Lellang had crashed and caught fire.
Renog said she was informed by Debra’s husband at about 4pm that day.
“I told her to go ahead and work and not worry about her children because I was taking care of them.
“She also told the children to be careful while staying at home,” she said.
Renog said she had been caring for Debra’s children since they were babies, as they stayed with her in the village while their mother worked in Miri and later served in Suai and Long Lellang as part of the flying doctor team.
Debra would return home whenever she was on leave, particularly during Christmas and Gawai, she said.
Renog, who is Debra’s mother, said she struggled to accept the tragedy, especially knowing her grandchildren were still studying and had lost their mother.
“I’m the kind of person who will cry when I try to talk about her. I keep thinking about her children, who are still studying,” she said.
She said doctors had advised her not to view Debra’s remains because of their condition.
“I did not dare to see her. Her body was badly destroyed. Only her necklace and spectacles remained. She could not be identified from her hair to her feet.
“The doctor told me not to look at them and to just let them be,” she said.
Renog said she had gone through a blood test for DNA verification of the remains. She said the ordeal was overwhelming, with her blood pressure rising above 190 and resulting in her being placed in the Yellow Zone for treatment.
“I was still in shock,” she said.
Debra, the fourth of six siblings, will be laid to rest at St Patrick Anglican Church Cemetery in Kampung Semadang tomorrow.
Renog said the family had already lost another child, Debra’s elder brother, leaving four surviving children.
Amid the grief, Renog said what hurt most was seeing Debra’s youngest son repeatedly calling for his mother.
“He always cries and calls for his mummy. He keeps saying, ‘I’m waiting for Mummy. I’m waiting for Mummy.’
“He keeps saying, ‘My mum is still here. Still alive,’” she said.
The incident occurred on Sept 8 when a BO-105 helicopter carrying five people crashed near the Long Lellang Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) airport in Marudi.
The remains of all five victims were identified on Sept 9 through DNA analysis as pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30; medical officer Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33; medical assistant Alexson Adit Henry, 31; and staff nurses Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44. — DayakDaily
