25-Year-Old M'sian Loses Battle To Cancer 5 Days After Graduation
The bedridden student couldn't attend his graduation ceremony and had his father receive the scroll on his behalf.
By Melissa Alvina — 30 Nov 2023, 05:34 PM
A Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) undergraduate, who fought a two-year-long battle with bone cancer, passed away just five days after graduating from university
Abdul Rahman Muhamad Rashidi graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business Mathematics during UUM's 36th convocation ceremony on 21 November.
Unfortunately, on 27 November, the 25-year-old succumbed to stage four bone cancer.
As he was bedridden, Abdul's father received the scroll on his behalf during the convocation ceremony
During the ceremony, the university broadcasted a pre-recorded video of Abdul delivering his graduation speech while wearing a mortarboard and robe.
According to Berita Harian, prior to the ceremony, UUM's vice chancellor Professor Dr Mohd Foad Sakdan visited the student's home and commended him for displaying remarkable resilience at confronting such a challenge at a young age.
He shared that Abdul was looking forward to the convocation ceremony, especially since he achieved a CGPA of 3.62.
Abdul was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2021 after he was brought for treatment due to prolonged pain in his left knee
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed a tumour in his leg, leading to the amputation of a portion of his left leg to curb the cancer's progression, reported Berita Harian.
Undeterred, Abdul adapted to using a prosthetic leg to carry on with his life and educational pursuits.
However, in 2022, new cancer cells were found spreading to his left lung, which caused him to suffer from breathing difficulties
He was paralysed from the waist down since August this year as the cancer cells spread further and exerted pressure on his spinal nerves.
By October, Abdul lost the ability to move his hands and had to rely entirely on an oxygen concentrator to support his breathing.
