Recovering Haryanto wins more empathy from artist, legislator

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An elementary school student who is undergoing intensive medical treatment in a hospital in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung received a special visit from an artist and a legislator on Saturday.

The beautiful film star and singer, Sophia Latjuba was accompanied by her four-year-old daughter Eva and Dwi Ria Latifah, a legislator of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

"I am truly concerned over Haryanto's fate. May he recover soon so that he can resume his studies. This (Haryanto's case) may be a good lesson for all parents to pay attention, even to the smallest problems their children face," Sophia said

After chatting with the patient and his parents, Sophia presented the family with a guitar and some money.

Haryanto's room was crowded with nurses and other patients of the hospital's Intensive Care Unit for Children, who were curious about the visitors.

Haryanto, from Sandang village, Garut West Java, has been undergoing treatment at the hospital for more than three weeks, since he attempted suicide by hanging himself with telephone wire at his house on Aug. 22.

The sixth grader had been led to the attempt by his inability to pay Rp 2,500 for the extracurricular activity of making birds nests.

On the previous day, Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono and his wife made a similar visit, declaring their readiness to be foster parents for Haryanto and to finance his studies.

Many others, including private companies, have contributed financial assistance to express their sympathy toward both Haryanto and his family.

Meanwhile, Dr. Suganda, one of the team looking after Haryanto at the hospital, said that there had been progress, but he needed more time to fully recover.

"There is a possibility that he could be brain-damaged," he said.