Having weathered the unexpected turns that life has thrown their way, Rashul Rahman and Sherriza Hareani’s 34-year-long love story is the quiet, enduring type that stays long after the final chapter.
They first met at the National Archives of Singapore; she, an archives officer, and he, a part-timer awaiting his O-Level results. Sparks flew, they got married, and life felt open with possibilities.
That changed in 2000, when Sherriza, at 32, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare eye disease that causes gradual vision loss.
By 2007, the English Language master’s degree holder had lost all usable vision, and along with it, her independence, freelance writing job, and the simple joy of reading and writing.
“I was very scared,” the 57-year-old recalled. “I couldn’t continue (with my writing job) because I couldn’t see my written notes, and I didn’t dare go out anymore.”
Rashul, now 52, watched, heartbroken, as the woman he loved slowly retreated from the world. “She was hiding herself away,” he said.
Meanwhile, his career as a sound engineer was taking him to the region’s biggest events. He worked the APEC summit in 2015, in Manila, Philippines, and Singapore’s National Day Rallies from 2018 to 2023.