PADAWAN: She asked me to help clean her new house for Christmas, where we were supposed to celebrate together, says the late Debra Moset’s mother, Renog Rasas.
Renog, 71, thought she was helping prepare a home where the family would gather for Christmas.
But that happy occasion will no longer come, following Debra’s death in a helicopter crash involving the Flying Doctor Service (FDS) in Long Lellang, Ulu Baram last Tuesday.
She said Debra was very happy when she returned home last week, and the two spent time cooking, eating and caring for her children together.
“Then she told me, ‘Mum, I need to return to Miri first. I want to go back to work.’ I replied, ‘It’s okay, go because you need to work,’” said Renog.
She said this when met at her home in Kampung Semadang after her daughter’s remains arrived here today.
Renog added that Debra also contacted her before leaving for the interior and asked her to continue taking care of her children, whom she had helped raise since they were young.
“She messaged me before leaving. She asked me to help prepare this new house because she said we would celebrate Christmas here.
“She also asked me to continue taking care of her children because it would be difficult for us to contact her while she was in the interior,” she said.
Renog said Debra returned to Miri on Sept 3, before carrying out her duties with the FDS team in Long Lellang last Tuesday (Sept 8).
She said she learned about the crash after Debra’s husband contacted the family at around 4 pm on the day of the incident.
Recalling the loss of her fourth child out of six siblings, Renog said she was still struggling to accept that Debra was gone.
“Tomorrow, they will bury her. She is my fourth child. Now I have only four children left because my second child has also passed away,” she said.
Renog said she also went through a difficult time during the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid analysis) testing process to confirm her daughter’s identity.
“I actually want to talk, but every time I remember my child (Debra), I cry. Her children are also still studying.
“The doctor advised me not to see her condition because it was too severe. I myself did not have the courage to see her,” she said.
She added that she provided a blood sample for DNA testing during the identification process, but her health and emotional state were also affected by the shock she experienced.
“I am still shocked by what happened. Her youngest child often cries and calls for her mother.
“She always says, ‘I’m waiting for Mommy, I’m waiting for Mommy.’ She still believes her mother is there and still alive,” she said.
Renog said Debra’s loss was deeply felt by the family, especially her children, who were still waiting for their mother to return.
The new house that was supposed to be a place for the family to gather this Christmas now remains as one of the final memories Debra left behind for her family.
