Leading by example: Tunku Azizah taking part in a cooking demonstration at a longhouse in Sarawak.
KUALA LUMPUR: “Hancur badan dikandung tanah, budi yang baik dikenang jua (simple translation: all good deeds will be remembered).”
This Malay proverb may aptly describe Muhammad Wafi Zabidi’s appreciation of Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
Muhammad Wafi.
The 34-year-old cook at Istana Negara said he would never forget the kindness shown by Her Majesty in enabling him and his wife, Nurul Ain Md Yusof, also 34, to experience the joy of parenthood after five years of marriage.
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Their daughter, Aurora Sofea Humaira, now three years old, was conceived through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment granted by Tunku Azizah.
“After Tunku Azizah took residence at Istana Negara in 2019, Her Majesty often asked about married workers at the palace who still had no children, and my name was mentioned.
“The Queen met me at the Istana Negara kitchen and told me to undergo IVF treatment.
“I was shocked at the high cost, estimated at RM30,000, so I am truly grateful for this most precious gift from Her Majesty,” he said.
Tunku Azizah, founder of the Tunku Azizah Fertility Foundation (TAFF), chose 19 other Istana Negara employees to undergo the IVF procedure.
Muhammad Wafi, who has been working at Istana Negara for 11 years, said he and his wife underwent a four-month treatment in 2019, and were blessed with their first child on Aug 2, 2020.
“I will remember this gift for the rest of my life because the IVF treatment was very challenging.
“My wife had to be admitted to the hospital for several days because she had difficulties breathing due to her ovaries containing a significant amount of fluid, and they were concerned about potential complications.
“Alhamdulillah, after that, everything went smoothly.
“When Her Majesty was informed about the success of the treatment, she ordered me to take good care of my wife during her pregnancy and did not allow me to work outstation even though at that time I was supposed to be assigned to Kuantan,” he recalled, according to Bernama.
Meanwhile, Mohd Hasry Abd Rahim, 34, a palace bentara (herald), said that in November 2021, he was assigned to serve Tunku Azizah during her trip to London, but he found it difficult to focus on the job at hand because floods had struck his family home in Bemban, Melaka.
“In my 13 years of living in that house, floods never hit the area. But suddenly, when I was in London, I received news from my wife that our house had been submerged up to the roof.
“We lost all the household items and were left with only the clothes on our backs.
“After hearing the news, I became disoriented and could not concentrate on my job. The Queen noticed this.
“I then told her about my plight and showed her photos and videos of my family home. Her Majesty was shocked, but she calmed me down and ordered my family to be assisted,” he said.
Upon returning, Tunku Azizah extended help to Mohd Hasry in various ways to restore his house, including gifting him household items, furniture and other essentials.
