Running a hawker business is no easy feat, but doing so while battling an illness is even more taxing. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the owner of 88 Katong Laksa is going through.
Helmed by a man with stage 4 cancer and his wife, the stall caught the attention of local foodies after a recent post in the Facebook group Hawkers United – Dabao 2020.
Sharing that the man had been ill “for years”, Melvin Chew, who manages the Facebook group, urged netizens to head down to support the couple.
In a TikTok posted by last Friday (April 1), Melvin also revealed that the man had opened the hawker stall so that his wife would be able to earn a livelihood in the event of his death.
@hawkers_united_melvin I encountered and help alot hawkers, this 4th stage cancer hawker is the 1 which I wanna help most. 🙏 #tiktokfood #tiktoksingapore #hawkerfood #ourhawkerculture #melvinchew #championhawker #hawker #food #sgtiktok #88katonglaksa #laksa #cherisheverymoment #tiktokmalaysia #foodtiktok ♬ original sound – Melvin Chew
Despite his illness, the hawker said in the video that he is “okay” and wants to “hopefully live longer” and be able to continue running the business with his wife.
His wife also shared that the life of a hawker is not easy and explained that apart from waking up early, she has to work for around 12 hours a day.
When asked why she wanted to become a hawker, she responded in Chinese, “If I don’t do it, how will I survive?”
The hawker is currently on supplements as chemotherapy “can’t help him”, another netizen, Kristen Choong, who also recently paid the stall a visit, revealed.
If you, too, want to support this couple, you can check out their stall at Circuit Road Hawker Centre.
Besides Katong laksa ($4 or $6) which features laksa paste that’s made in-house and fresh cockles, they also sell chicken curry ($5) and other noodle dishes such as mushroom minced pork noodles ($3.50).
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
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