Compiled by ELISHA MARY EASTER and C.ARUNO
A SINGLE mother had to quit working as a cleaner at a bank to care for her daughter who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma cancer last year, Kosmo! reported.
Wan Khairunnisa Wan Abdul Halim, 38, is now supporting her four children, aged three to 17, by working odd jobs such as cleaning houses.
“My second child, Ainina Qaisara Muhammmad Fitri, was diagnosed with cancer in May last year after a tumour was discovered in her neck,” she said of her 14-year-old daughter, fondly referred to as Kak Ngah.
Wan Khairunnisa said she does not have a stable income and her financial resources are dependent on the Social Welfare Department and Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council which total RM1,050 a month.
“We spend about RM500 a month on transportation for the hospital treatment sessions going back and forth by train, as well as on food and drinks.
“It is difficult to explain how to manage a child with cancer and at the same time, I have to think about my other children who are left with their grandmother and other relatives,” she said.
Wan Khairunnisa said Ainina is currently back home as a palliative patient after various types of treatment, including a series of chemotherapy and transplant surgery plans which could not be implemented as the cancer cells continue to spread.
“Kak Ngah chose to return home for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration,” she added.
> Singer Wawa Shazwa is happy that her debut solo song Undur Diri has captured the hearts of listeners, Harian Metro reported.
The music video was released in February, while the song was composed by Ayu Rizki Yani and co-written by Hakim Hakimi and Te Ha. The video has received over 500,000 views on YouTube.
The song kept her in the Top 20 ‘Trending’ music chart for more than three weeks following its release.
Wawa Shazwa, whose real name is Nor Shazwa Atiqah Shamshul, 24, expressed gratitude despite a delay during recording.
“I took some time to recover after my father passed away last year and that caused the delay,” she explained.
She revealed that composer Eddie Hamid from Nova Music approached her about recording the single in 2022 after a video of her singing Rembulan Malam with Darul Aman Buskers went viral.
“I was happy when I received the chance to sing Undur Diri because it was my first solo single. I took time off from work as a pharmacy assistant when I went to the studio in Kuala Lumpur for the recording,” she said.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
