A promise that cannot be kept: Grief and gratitude pour in for Sarawak's fallen medics

On September 8, a tragic helicopter crash near Long Lellang, Ulu Baram, claimed the lives of five members of a Flying Doctor Service (FDS) medical team, including Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham.

His widow expressed her profound grief on social media, highlighting her heartbreak and the challenges of moving forward without him.

Tributes have poured in from villagers and colleagues, reflecting on the team's dedicated service to remote communities in Sarawak.

Among the victims was Jessie Paya Jok, remembered for her selflessness and plans to further her studies in midwifery, whose dreams remain unfulfilled.

MIRI, Sept 11 — “This story may soon be forgotten by others, bit by bit, but I will never forget you, not even for a second.”

Those were the anguished words posted on Threads by izzatisyamimi, wife of pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30, who was among five people killed when a Flying Doctor Service (FDS) helicopter crashed near Long Lellang, Ulu Baram, on Sept 8.

Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30; medical officer Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33; assistant medical officer Alexson Adit Henry, 31; and staff nurses Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44.

Posting under the handle izzatisyamimi shortly after midnight on Sept 10, just hours after her husband’s DNA sample was sent for testing and a day after his body was recovered, the widow poured out her grief in a message that has since been widely shared on social media.

“People see me as strong on the outside, but inside I am completely shattered,” she wrote. “You always said I was a supermom, you always said I was a strong woman, but who am I without you by my side? You taught me to be strong, but it isn’t fair of you to leave me like this. I did tell you to fly high, but this time you flew too high — so high that I can no longer catch up with you. Love you always.”

A day earlier, as the bodies of the victims were being recovered from the crash site, the same account had posted another message addressed directly to her late husband, describing the couple’s children crying inconsolably through the night.

“Your children really aren’t giving me any chance to cry at all, are they? Please help settle them for a while, daddy — my pool of tears is already full. It’s my turn now. Tonight both of them were wailing. Just be patient, it’s my turn now. I hope you’re strong enough to watch me cry my heart out. We love you daddy,” she wrote.

The others who died in their FDS mission to serve the rural people of Sarawak were medical officer Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33; assistant medical officer Alexson Adit Henry, 31; and staff nurses Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44.

The tragedy has also prompted an outpouring of recollections from villagers, former colleagues, friends and family members of the crew, many of whom took to social media to share memories of the FDS team’s outreach trips across Kapit, Limbang and Miri divisions.

Among the widely circulated tributes was a video and photo montage sourced from TikTok user Fikri Jalil, showing the FDS team during a visit to Kampung Balai in Ulu Baram.

Among the images were a doctor attending to a patient on the steps of a longhouse, villagers chatting warmly with the pilot during a stopover, and locals helping the crew load medical supplies and equipment back onto the aircraft.

The accompanying caption recalled the crew’s parting words to the villagers: “We’ll come again in November, okay?”

“These, it turned out, were the last words spoken before they left Kampung Balai, Ulu Baram,” the post read. “That promise, now impossible to keep, has become a heart-wrenching memory for villagers still grieving over this tragedy. Their service and sacrifice to the villagers will never be forgotten. Al-Fatihah.”

Among the five victims was paramedic the late Jessie Paya Jok, 44, who according to a close friend had been just months away from beginning a new chapter in her life.

Her friend of nearly two decades, Caroline Sawai Joseph Chungat, said Paya had excitedly shared that this month was to be her last serving with the FDS. She had planned to pursue an Advanced Diploma in Midwifery thereafter.

“Next year I want to continue my studies…” was how Paya had put it to those close to her, Chungat recalled — an ambition that never came to pass.

Chungat, who had known Paya since 2005, described her as a soft-spoken woman of few words who nonetheless brightened the lives of those around her with her smile. During her service at the Bario Health Clinic, Paya was remembered fondly by residents of the interior, including for reportedly using her own money at times to help cover the travel fares of patients who needed treatment at Miri Hospital.

“Not everyone’s good deeds are spoken of while they are still alive. Sometimes, it is only after they are gone that we truly realise the extent of the kindness they showed,” Chungat’s tribute read, adding that although Paya’s dream went unfulfilled, her service and kindness would continue to be remembered by those whose lives she touched.

“Al-Fatihah for the late Jessie Paya Jok. May all her sacrifices become deeds that continue to bring reward,” the tribute concluded.

The helicopter, which was ferrying an FDS medical team, went down near Long Lellang in Ulu Baram on Sept 8, killing all five people on board. Recovery operations for the victims’ remains were carried out over the following days, with DNA samples taken to confirm their identities.

The FDS provides outreach medical and health services to remote interior communities across Sarawak, with teams regularly flown by helicopter to longhouses and villages inaccessible by road. — The Borneo Post

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9 月 8 日，在乌鲁巴南龙勒朗附近发生的一起悲惨的直升机坠毁事故夺去了飞行医生服务队 (FDS) 医疗队五名成员的生命，其中包括 Zainol Afiq Bee Sham 上尉。

他的遗孀在社交媒体上表达了她深深的悲痛，强调了她心碎的心情以及没有他之后继续生活的挑战。

村民和同事们纷纷表达了哀悼之情，回顾了该团队为砂拉越偏远社区提供的奉献服务。

遇难者中有杰西·帕亚·乔克，她以无私奉献和攻读助产学的计划而为人铭记，但她的梦想至今仍未实现。

美里，9月11日讯——“这个故事或许很快就会被其他人一点一点地遗忘，但我永远不会忘记你，哪怕一秒钟也不会。”

这些是飞行员 Zainol Afiq Bee Sham 上尉的妻子 izzatisyamimi 在 Threads 上发布的悲痛话语。Zainol Afiq Bee Sham 上尉年仅 30 岁，9 月 8 日，一架飞行医生服务 (FDS) 直升机在乌鲁巴南龙勒朗附近坠毁，他是机上五名遇难者之一。

Zainol Afiq Bee Sham 船长，30 岁；医疗官员 Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin 博士，33 岁；助理医务官 Alexson Adit Henry，31 岁；以及 40 岁的护士黛布拉·莫塞特 (Debra Moset) 和 44 岁的杰西·帕亚·乔克 (Jessie Paya Jok)。

9 月 10 日凌晨刚过，就在她丈夫的 DNA 样本被送去检测几个小时后，以及他遗体被找到的第二天，这位寡妇以 izzatisyamimi 的账号发帖，倾诉了她的悲痛，这条信息随后在社交媒体上被广泛分享。

“人们觉得我外表坚强，但我的内心早已崩溃，”她写道。“你总是说我是个超级妈妈，总是说我是个坚强的女人，但没有你在身边，我又是谁？你教会了我坚强，但你这样离开我，对我太不公平了。我曾鼓励你展翅高飞，但这一次你飞得太高了——高到我再也追不上你。永远爱你。”

前一天，当遇难者遗体从坠机现场被找到时，同一个账号发布了另一条直接写给她已故丈夫的消息，描述了这对夫妇的孩子们整夜哭闹不止。

“孩子们真的一点都不给我哭的机会，对吧？爸爸，请你先帮他们安静一会儿——我的眼泪已经满了。现在轮到我了。今晚他们两个都哭得稀里哗啦的。请你耐心点，现在轮到我了。我希望你能坚强地看着我痛哭一场。我们爱你，爸爸，”她写道。

其他在为砂拉越农村人民服务的 FDS 任务中丧生的其他人包括 33 岁的医疗官员 Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin 博士；助理医务官 Alexson Adit Henry，31 岁；以及 40 岁的护士黛布拉·莫塞特 (Debra Moset) 和 44 岁的杰西·帕亚·乔克 (Jessie Paya Jok)。

这场悲剧也引发了村民、前同事、朋友和船员家属的大量回忆，他们中的许多人在社交媒体上分享了FDS团队在加帛、林梦和美里省开展外展活动的记忆。

在广泛流传的悼念视频中，有一段来自 TikTok 用户 Fikri Jalil 的视频和照片蒙太奇，展示了 FDS 团队在乌鲁巴南的 Kampung Balai 进行访问的场景。

照片中包括：医生在长屋台阶上为病人看病；村民在飞机中途停留时与飞行员热情交谈；以及当地人帮助机组人员将医疗用品和设备装回飞机上。

照片旁边的说明文字回顾了剧组人员临别时对村民们说的话：“我们十一月还会再来，好吗？”

“事实证明，这些是他们离开乌鲁巴南巴莱村前说的最后一句话，”帖子写道。“这个如今已无法实现的承诺，成了村民们至今仍沉浸在悲痛中的一段刻骨铭心的回忆。他们为村民们所做的贡献和牺牲将永远铭记在心。愿真主赐福于他们。”

五名遇难者中包括已故的44岁医护人员杰西·帕亚·乔克，据一位密友透露，她原本几个月后就要开始人生的新篇章。

她相识近二十年的朋友卡罗琳·萨瓦伊·约瑟夫·钟加特说，帕亚兴奋地告诉她，这个月将是她在FDS的最后一个月。她计划之后攻读助产学高级文凭。

钟加特回忆说，帕雅曾对身边的人说：“明年我想继续深造……”——但这个愿望最终未能实现。

自2005年就认识帕雅的钟加特形容她是一位说话轻声细语、寡言少语的女性，但她的笑容却能照亮周围人的生活。在巴里奥卫生诊所服务期间，帕雅深受当地居民的爱戴，据说她有时甚至自掏腰包，帮助需要前往美里医院就诊的病人支付路费。

“并非所有人的善行都会在生前被人铭记。有时，只有在他们离世之后，我们才会真正意识到他们所展现的善良有多么深厚，”Chungat 的悼词中写道，并补充说，尽管 Paya 的梦想未能实现，但她的奉献和善良将被所有受她恩惠的人们永远铭记。

“为已故的杰西·帕亚·乔克诵读《古兰经》开端章。愿她所有的牺牲都化为善行，继续带来回报。”悼词最后写道。

9月8日，一架载有FDS医疗队的直升机在乌鲁巴南的龙乐浪附近坠毁，机上五人全部遇难。随后几天，救援人员对遇难者遗体进行了搜寻，并提取了DNA样本以确认身份。

砂拉越森林服务队（FDS）为砂拉越偏远内陆社区提供医疗卫生服务，其医疗队定期乘坐直升机前往陆路无法到达的长屋和村庄。——《婆罗洲邮报》

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