Suheri reaps success in life against all odds

Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta

When accidents happen, sometimes the impact may be unbearable. It changes the way you live your life, particularly if it causes permanent damage, such as a physical disability. The initial desperation can be a very damaging emotion, but these feelings usually lessen over time.

Suheri is living proof of that.

Today he is a well-known dollhouse maker, all of which happened after the car accident that changed his life. Suheri was born and raised in Palembang, South Sumatra. On a fateful day in 1971, he joined three friends to go hunting. Everything went smoothly until the jeep passed a winding, slippery road.

The driver lost control of the jeep and it flipped over, veered right and crashed. Suheri was sitting next to the driver in the jeep and lost consciousness. All of them ended up in hospital, but Suheri was the only one to suffer permanent injuries.

The doctor broke the news to him that he had irreversible spinal injuries, causing paralysis. He went to Jakarta in order to get better treatment. At first he was hospitalized in a private hospital for a month, without any progress.

He later moved to Fatmawati Hospital in South Jakarta, taken care by an orthopedist as there was no spinal specialist. The three-year healing process bored him to death.

"Aside from lying in bed, there was nothing else I could do," Suheri said.

His wounds started to heal but he was confined to a wheelchair. His physiotherapy gave him hope that he would be able to walk again. Despite therapy, however, he eventually had to face the reality that he would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

There were some difficult emotional issues; he knew he couldn't do the things he had been able to do before. The ordeal affected both his mental and physical health. Fortunately it didn't last forever. He learned to think positively.

He knew he could either allow himself to become severely depressed or try to get something positive out of the situation.

"I reminded myself that despite the fact I was in a wheelchair user, I still could use my other body parts," said Suheri.

At Fatmawati Hospital, Suheri and several other wheelchair users were trained to make various wooden crafts, like picture frames and wooden toys, among others.

He moved to Jakarta Wisma Cheshire Home, inside Fatmawati hospital's compound, in 1974. It had been opened that year by British man Leonard Cheshire as a home to care for paraplegics in wheelchairs.

Today, Cheshire Foundation is taken care of and supported by Indonesians and expatriate volunteers. The foundation promotes the creative power in paraplegics and develops their self-worth. It makes them believe that despite their disability, everybody has their own talent.

Suheri lived with three other wheelchair users as the home's first occupants.

At its workshop they made various wooden crafts, such as picture frame, toys and crutches. They sold those crutches to other hospital -- Sumber Waras, St. Carolus, Cipto Mangunkusumo and Jakarta Hospital to name a few.

Later, one of the British helpers brought a dollhouse to Cheshire. Suheri and his colleagues learned the skill to make the dollhouse through carefully studying the one brought to them. Their dollhouses won the hearts of many kids.

Suheri also enjoyed success outside the workshop. He was sent by the National Sports Council (KONI) to the Paralympics. He competed in various events, such as table tennis, wheelchair racing, archery, javelin, shooting and lawn bowls. Competing with other disabled world-class athletes helped increase his self- esteem.

"Besides, I got the opportunity to travel the world. I've visited the UK, China, Japan, Austria and Australia," said Suheri brightly.

He left Wisma Cheshire to set up his own small welding company in 1989, with a soft loan of Rp 1 million. He rented a small house across from Fatmawati Hospital and turned it into his workshop-cum-home. He made kitchen sets and chairs for food courts, among other goods. Dollhouses were not the main merchandise. It only took him less than a year to repay his loan.

The business went well, until the advent of high interest rates along with the economic crisis that struck in mid-1997. The cost of materials soared and business dropped, except for the dollhouses.

Suheri decided to focus exclusively on making the dollhouses, and a friend offered him use of his unoccupied house for free in Bukit Cirendeu, Jakarta. Grateful Suheri uses it as a workshop.

"When I started the dollhouse business, many local passersby dropped into my workshop out of curiosity. Some people had no idea that what they saw were actually dollhouses. They thought those houses were for pets, be it birds, kittens, puppies and the like," said Suheri with a smile.

Initially all his customers were expatriates, but then locals started to buy. News spread by word of mouth at a time when Barbie was getting more popular. Barbie, Ken, Kayla and the like need a house to settle down in after all.

Kids may also buy accessories to dress up their Barbie, from handbags to shoes. And the good news for parents is that the prices are reasonable. Although the goods are not made by Mattel, they are worth a look and relatively cheap considering their good quality.

Cars (Rp 200,000), bathroom sets (Rp 75,000) and other colorful plastic goods join the ranks. A beautiful red satin ball gown is an irresistible bargain at Rp 15,000. A set consisting of a cute hand-knitted wool sunhat, tank top and matching pants is relatively cheap at Rp 15,000. Besides some Barbie lookalikes, a few genuine Barbie and My Scene dolls from Mattel are also on offer, at prices lower than in the stores.

Little girls (or their parents) may even design their own dream house. The smallest dollhouse (65 cm x 75 cm) costs Rp 270,000. By paying an additional Rp 75,000, the owner gets a bed, dressing table, dining set and a set of chairs. Other furniture, say a four-poster bed (Rp 25,000), bunk bed (Rp 25,000) and rocking chair (Rp 15,000), are also on display.

Committed fans of Barbie may order their own furniture which resembles Barbie House to match their dollhouse, such as a desk (Rp 400,000) and cupboard, just to mention a few. The cupboard (90 cm x 1.85 cm) is priced at Rp 700,000.

He started out with two craftsmen, but today he has 15. Some fellow disabled friends are his suppliers. They work from their own homes, making mini furniture, from sofas to bunk beds. The business generates monthly turnover of more than Rp 30 million, as the cheapest dollhouse costs Rp 270,000.

"I sell from 100 to 150 dollhouses per month. Some of my customers even resell the dollhouses in the Netherlands, Bandung, Kalimantan and Cinere (Jakarta). A few weeks before Christmas are our peak season," said Suheri.

Unmarried, Suheri lives with three teenage nephews and a niece, Santi Puteri, 13. I was impressed by her mature ways in helping her uncle. She greets customers cheerfully, answers all questions and deals with them in a thoroughly professional manner. Suheri takes care of his young relatives, sends them to school and in return they help him run his business.

Suheri does not go hunting with his friends anymore. He cannot do the things he was able to do before and he has had some problems, but he has bounced back. His life changed, for sure, but he does not look back in anger. He keeps going forward.

"Don't give up easily. Patience, determination and commitment will pay off," said Suheri.

Surviving against all the odds, today Suheri is 55, without the use of his legs, but still going strong.

------------------------------------ Para Handicraft Jl. Depan R.S. Fatmawati No. 38 (Next to Apotik Melawai) South Jakarta Tel: (021) 751 32 47 -------------------------------