‘I almost lost my child’: Sora Ma's 1-year-old son left alone at home by maid & falls down stairs

Malaysia-born actress Sora Ma had a frightening incident during a trip to Kuala Lumpur, after her domestic helper left her one-year-old son alone in the house, leading to the toddler falling down a flight of stairs.

Fell down the stairs

In an Instagram post on Mar. 30, the 42-year-old revealed that she had "almost lost" her son, Skye, on the trip.

She had travelled to Kuala Lumpur with Skye and their helper, arriving three days ahead of her scheduled plans to give them time to settle in.

She initially planned to leave the two of them at home for about two hours while she attended a meeting. However, something felt off, so she decided to turn back and bring them along instead.

Speaking to Chinese news daily Lianhe Zaobao, Ma said upon returning home, she could see Skye crying uncontrollably through the glass partition.

She quickly opened the door, and the toddler immediately jumped up and hugged her tightly — something he had never done before.

Ma described him as looking "completely shaken", and he also had a red patch on his cheek.

"I had never seen him like that before," she said.

Her helper was nowhere to be found, and her shoes were missing as well.

Ma later discovered that her helper had left Skye alone at home without her knowledge or permission.

While unsupervised, Skye had attempted to climb down from the second floor and fallen down the stairs.

He had bruises on his face and limbs after the fall.

"I thought that was enough"

In her post, Ma reflected on the trust she had placed in her helper, saying she assumed that she would stay with them for many years.

While her helper was not very skilled at housework, she took excellent care of Skye, Ma added.

"I thought that was enough," she wrote.

According to Zaobao, Ma described her helper as looking a little distracted recently.

Before the trip, Ma had talked to her, and she admitted she did not want to continue working as a domestic helper, but added that she was willing to try again.

As such, Ma decided to keep her on.

Unfortunately, less than two days into the trip, her helper had left Skye alone to meet a friend, which ultimately led to the accident.

"I told her it was never about how long you were gone," Ma wrote in her post. "It was about how you could leave without telling me, and leave a child behind."

At the time of the incident, she had chosen not to confront her helper directly, not wanting to distress Skye further.

She resolved to address the matter upon returning to Singapore.

After speaking with the maid agency and the helper again, Ma concluded that the helper had not shown genuine remorse, nor did she appear to grasp the seriousness of what had happened.

"If I couldn't even feel at ease leaving my child with her for a short while, it would be difficult to continue," she said. She subsequently dismissed the helper.

"Accidents are never something you wait to regret," she said. "A child's safety is never 'just for a while.'"

Ma added that she had chosen to speak up about the incident to remind people to trust their instincts.

"Listen to that small voice inside you. Sometimes, it knows before anything even happens."

Can no longer sleep alone

Ma told Zaobao that the incident seemed to have traumatised Skye.

She said he now wakes suddenly at night, yelling, and will only go back to sleep when he lies on top of her.

"Now he can no longer fall asleep by himself," she said. "He needs me to be by his side. He also keeps wanting to hold my hand."

Netizens react

Ma's post drew an outpouring of support in the comments, with many mothers also expressing their sympathy.

Many of the comments noted that while housework can be overlooked, the safety of one's children should never be compromised.

Top photos from @soramayx/Instagram