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Each day 'gets harder' for MH370 chief steward's daughter
Like many of those who lost their families aboard MH370 a year ago, Maira Elizabeth Nari lived the first few weeks hoping against hope for good news
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ike many of those who lost their families aboard MH370 a year ago, Maira Elizabeth Nari lived the first few weeks hoping against hope for good news. She prayed that her father, chief steward Andrew Nari, would return.
Then 18, she showed a maturity beyond her years after prime minister Najib Razak announced that the plane's journey had "ended" in the southern Indian Ocean. In a heartbreaking tweet, she said: "God loves you more, Daddy."
Her attachment to her 49-year-old father was there for all to see on Twitter.
Nari, who lives with her mother and 14-year-old brother outside Kuala Lumpur, had hoped her father would be there for one of the key events of her life - when she went to collect her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results 12 days after the jet went missing. The SPM is equivalent to the O-level school-leaving exam.
She wrote: "He's with me through my heart and faith."
There was widespread praise for her courage and positive attitude in refusing to lash out at the authorities, unlike others who had lost loved ones.
On March 16 last year, even football club Liverpool acknowledged her on Twitter after this post went viral: "Daddy, Liverpool is winning the game! Come home, so you can watch the game! You never miss watching the game. It's your first time."
Liverpool retweeted (shared) her words (as did nearly 9,000 other users), saying "this has touched our hearts". The team went on to score a 3-0 win over Manchester United.
The following month, three Malaysian Liverpool fans sent her a replica jersey signed by manager Brendan Rodgers and several players.
"My dad is a huge fan of Liverpool. Mum was the happiest though (with the jersey). I was happy too, but sad that dad did not have the chance to see or touch the shirt," the college student said in an e-mail interview.
Now 19, with a Twitter following of more than 96,000, she is pursuing a degree in broadcasting. She said the past year had been an "emotional roller coaster", one that "gets harder day by day".
She looks to God to find strength. She said: "God knows better. Deep down, I still have hope." Even so, she knows the chances are high that "they'll never come back".
Her boyfriend, whom she met at college, is a comfort to her. She described him as having "98 per cent of my dad's attitude... very supportive. And he helps a lot". (***)
