BUTTERWORTH: Kiru Muniandy has spent much of his life making things with his hands. He has painted portraits, carved ice and created elaborate hotel decorations; later, those same hands steered motorcycles, drove his daughter to school, and helped build a life around family, work and charity.
Then came Parkinson’s disease. Diagnosed in January 2023 at age 50, Kiru remembers walking out of the consultation room in tears, his thoughts immediately turning to his then seven-year-old daughter, Tammilina.
“I saw my future, my dreams and my plans crumbling down,” he recalled.
One memory cuts even deeper - when Kiru told his mother about the diagnosis, she held his trembling hands and said: “These hands were made to create beautiful paintings.” For an artist, the words struck at the heart of what Parkinson’s was beginning to take from him.
Kiru grew up in Kampung Jawa, Butterworth, and studied graphic design before painting portraits at Komtar during its heyday.
After his father died during the final years of his studies, Kiru, the eldest of four siblings, had to start earning a living. He eventually worked as a resident hotel artist before moving into manufacturing.
Outside of work, he and his wife Chitra supported charity events, including fundraisers for Hospice Penang. Kiru also loved motorcycles and helped co-found “No Ride Ends”, a Royal Enfield riders’ group involved in charity rides.
In 2019, the couple welcomed Tammilina. Like many fathers, Kiru imagined years of school runs, outings and family trips ahead.
Around the same time, something was beginning to change. He experienced unexplained anxiety, lethargy, constipation and internal tremors, while his left thumb twitched and fingers sometimes locked for weeks.
His shoulder began to droop and his left arm stopped swinging normally when he walked.
The answer finally came after he was hospitalised with chikungunya in December 2022. A doctor noticed the shaking in his hand and leg and referred him to a movement-disorder specialist.
Losing the ordinary things
Parkinson’s has since altered nearly every part of Kiru’s day. He can no longer drive alone or ride his motorcycle, struggles to walk for more than about 10 minutes, and experiences tremors, cramps, dyskinesia and dystonia - jerky movements and involuntary muscle contractions.
At times his body freezes, his speech can become slurred, and simple tasks such as dressing, pouring water or using the toilet require Chitra’s help.
His medication is taken every four hours and, when it works well, Kiru can regain some independence. When it does not, the gap between the man he once was and the life he now leads becomes painfully clear.
Losing the school run has been especially difficult. “I cannot give that memory to her, of being driven around by her own father,” he said.
Chitra has adjusted her working hours so she can care for Kiru while continuing to take their daughter to school and keep the household going. Kiru stopped working last October and is now on prolonged illness leave, with his income and benefits gradually reducing.
His applications for Socso invalidity pension have been rejected twice, and he is waiting for a medical report from the government hospital to support his latest appeal.
A possible second chance
In July 2025, after increasing doses of medication began causing troublesome side effects, doctors advised Kiru to consider deep brain stimulation (DBS). The procedure involves implanting electrodes in the brain to help regulate abnormal movement signals associated with Parkinson’s.
It does not cure the disease, but for suitable patients it can improve symptoms and reduce reliance on medication. Kiru has undergone assessments and has been told he appears to be a promising candidate.
The cost, however, is a challenge: DBS at Penang General Hospital is estimated at RM120,000, while treatment at a private hospital could cost around RM240,000.
Kiru is hoping for surgery as early as December, but he remains among other patients waiting for the procedure and worries that further delays could complicate matters as his condition progresses.
Friends, relatives and strangers have helped raise about RM32,000 through KitaFund, GoFundMe and personal donations, but the family is still a long way from the RM120,000 target.
For Kiru, the surgery represents far more than improved movement: he wants to walk more confidently, spend time outdoors with Chitra and Tammilina, and reclaim some of the everyday fatherhood Parkinson’s has interrupted.
Most of all, he wants to paint again. “If I can have the DBS, I hope I can do a big portrait painting of Tammilina,” he said.
“I tried my best, with or without Parkinson’s, to be a better father and a better person. My daughter is teaching me both. I love her.”
Kiru knows he cannot return to the life he had before Parkinson’s. What he wishes for now is enough time, movement and independence to create a few more memories with his daughter - and, hopefully, one more portrait she can keep.
Those wishing to help Kiru can contribute to CIMB Bank account 7020 495 568 (Kirubananthan a/l Muniandi) with the reference 'Donation for surgery'.
Donations can also be made through his KitaFund campaign or GoFundMe campaign.
This article was originally written by Fa Abdul.