Daughter vows to follow mother’s footsteps

PADAWAN: One day, 15-year-old Euodia Then Suling hopes to wear a white coat, help people and perhaps even work alongside the woman who first inspired her to become a doctor – her mother.

What began as a childhood dream to become a chef changed when Euodia saw how much her late mother, nurse Debra Moset, cared for and helped others.

“I want to be like her. I want to help people.

“We had planned to work together and be in the same workplace,” she said when met at her home in Kampung Semadang after her mother’s remains arrived today (Sept 13).

Euodia said she had initially wanted to become a chef because of her interest in cooking.

However, she said her ambition changed after witnessing her mother’s life and work, which became a source of inspiration for her.

“Seeing my mother helping many people made me want to be like her and help others.

“That is why one day I want to become a doctor,” she said.

To Euodia, although her mother had told her that being a doctor could be a stressful job, she still wanted to pursue the ambition.

She said her interest in science also encouraged her to choose that path, with her mother helping to apply for her admission to a science-stream school.

“She always reminded me to study hard and achieve my dreams,” she said.

Recalling her mother’s personality, Euodia described Debra as a strict person who placed great importance on cleanliness.

Relatives and friends paying last respect to the late SN Debra Moset. Photo: Ramidi Subari

She said despite being strict, Debra was not overly firm with her children and was a loving mother.

“Mum was strict and very particular about cleanliness. She also liked cooking.

“However, she was not too strict with her children. To me, she was a very loving mother,” she said.

Debra’s interest in cooking also left Euodia with a memory she will find difficult to forget.

On Sept 3, when her mother returned home, Euodia asked her to cook soy sauce chicken, one of her favourite dishes which she said Debra prepared especially well.

“I told her, ‘Mami, I want to eat soy sauce chicken.’

“After that, she immediately made it for me. That is the memory I cannot forget,” she said.

That meeting also became the last time Euodia saw her mother in person before Debra returned to duty.

Euodia also sent her mother a message asking whether Debra would return home to celebrate her birthday next month, but the message was never read.

“I asked whether she would come home to celebrate my birthday next month.

“I managed to send another message one minute after the incident, but she did not get the chance to read it,” she said.

Meanwhile, her younger brother, Eugene Then Kuling, 12, also holds on to his last memory with their mother when he sent her to the airport on Sept 3.

According to him, Debra only had time to wave at him before departing for Miri.