Malaysian woman finds banknote from late father thanks to viral Facebook post

A Malaysian woman had resigned herself to the fact that a keepsake from her late father was lost forever — until she saw it in a viral Facebook post.

It all started when Facebook user Hyza Ezany made a post on Nov 30 seeking the owner of a RM10 (S$3.30) note.

At first glance, the banknote looked just like a typical RM10 note save for the heartbreaking inscription on it: "The last cash given by dad on 21/5/2010 Friday 7.10am".

"Please help me to share (this post) to find the owner. Thank you to those who are willing to help," Hyza wrote in Malay. "Because when I read this sentence, I felt like the owner would be searching (for this banknote)." 

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/hyza.ezany/posts/2752831938112260?__tn__=H-R[/embed]

The inscription tugged at many commenters' heartstrings and had them wondering about the circumstances that could have led the original owner to part with the note.

 

As fate would have it, the post, which has garnered over 25,000 shares at the time of writing, eventually reached the original owner of the banknote, Anne Malar Yesudass.

Her sister had come across the post and sent her a screenshot, Yesudass, 26, explained in a Facebook post on Dec 1.

It turned out that Yesudass' late father had given her the banknote when he had dropped her off at school on May 21, 2010.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3135174663163892&set=pb.100000141683980.-2207520000.0.&type=3&theatre[/embed]

Later that day, he died in an accident.

Since that day, Yesudass had always kept the banknote in her purse until it was stolen on Sept 1, 2018 when she was in Melaka for a retreat.

Yesudass wrote: "I was not sad that my purse was stolen... But I was terribly sad that this valuable thing in my life was stolen together."

For a year, whenever she thought of the stolen banknote, her heart would ache, she said.

Little did she know that it would eventually resurface on Facebook. 

"All this was not what I actually expected at all. I really didn't know this RM10 note will be so viral everywhere," she said.

"I really really feel so blessed... I thank so so so much sis Hyza Ezany... for your kind sharing on this... The word thank you alone is not enough.

"Thanks to all those kind-hearted people who shared (the post) as well."

Yesudass, who lives in Johor Bahru, has been in contact with Hyza and will head to Melaka collect the banknote from her on Dec 5, she told Harian Metro.

And she's planning to keep her precious banknote closer to home this time.

"I want to put it in the frame with my dad's picture because I don't want to lose it anymore," she said.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/anne.yesudass/posts/3135153073166051[/embed]

kimberlylim@asiaone.com