Your Contribution Goes A Long Way...THANK YOU

By MAKNA Potential Volunteer Leader, Dr Norazirah Ayob, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

Dr Norazirah works as a lecturer at UNIMAS. She is also a MAKNA Volunteer. Her decision to devote her spare time to helping cancer patients came after her husband was diagnosed with CML. Since becoming a MAKNA Volunteer, Dr Norazirah has been actively organising many fundraising activities and awareness programmes in Sarawak, mainly in UNIMAS, with the aim of nurturing the habit of giving back to society in the younger generation. It was on this premise that Dr Norazirah and her students put together a small fundraiser in conjunction with the university’s convocation last year.

One of the patients who benefited from the proceeds of the fundraiser was Hasniza, a 14-year-old girl who has been suffering from Primary CNS Germ Cell Tumour since she was four. Hasniza’s father works as a carpenter whose income fluctuates from day to day, depending on whether he is able to secure any jobs. Her mother meanwhile stays at home, mostly to care for Hasniza, and her three other siblings.

On the day Dr Norazirah and her two student volunteers visited Hasniza, she was sleeping on the living room floor. Due to years of illness, Hasniza’s physique did not reflect her age. Despite that Hasniza, according to her mum, was doing a lot better compared to before. Her parents made sure that she went for follow-ups consistently every six months at the Sarawak general hospital. And when Hasniza developed sudden fevers, they never hesitated to bring her to the klinik kesihatan in Kota Samarahan, the nearest clinic to their home. According to her mum, they had a scare towards the end of December last year when a bout of fever left Hasniza very ill. Therefore now they have become more diligent when caring for her. They were also hopeful that Hasniza’s condition would improve further with better care and continued help from MAKNA.

There are many patients like Hasniza who have benefited from the generosity and kindness of MAKNA donors. Every sen goes a long way in giving hope and a fighting chance to these patients and their families...Thank You.

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