After her father died at sea, Asih lived solely with her mother. To make ends meet, she helped her mother with various tasks, ranging from selling fish at the market to helping run a food stall. This grueling routine often left her exhausted, causing her to fall asleep in class. Her hardships intensified when her mother was diagnosed with kidney failure and required dialysis. Financial constraints hindered the treatment, and her mother eventually passed away. Fate brought Asih together with Denise, an American journalist. Asih’s honesty in finding and returning Denise’s mobile phone led to her being taken in as a foster daughter. Asih’s life was transformed; she continued her education in the city, pursued medical studies, and cultivated her photography skills to the point of landing a job with a foreign media outlet. She also succeeded in becoming a doctor, opening a medical practice where she provided free care to the underprivileged.
