Life Is Fragile

Dear Friends,

I received a call at about noon on 8th July from the Children's Wish Society of Malaysia (CWS) asking if I could help get a Sony PSP game console for a boy with Leukemia. I was told he did not have much time left, so I got in touch with Dr Ong at the Likas Hospital, who said he will call me back at 5pm to see if the boy has been warded, and to send the game then.

With Haslin's help (good timing, he flew in at 3pm), I managed to get the game console in Centre Point, and we waited till almost 7pm to get some games downloaded, including a Fifa World Cup match. Dr Ong did get back to me to say that Said Abdullah Uksung, 10, has refused to go to hospital, and asked what should we do. I offered to send the game to the boy at his house in Kampung Pulau Gaya.

The next morning, six of us (Haslin, and four from the press) got on a boat at the central market jetty and reached Said's house in 10 minutes. He was asleep -- his dad Uksung Kong said his son was on pain killers. He managed to wake Said up, but perhaps shocked at seeing so many of us, he turned his face away. Eventually, his dad got him to accept the gift -- which he had wished for. Soon, his brother Afizudin joined him, and gave him some pointers on how to use the game console.

We decided to talk to Uksung on the verandah, and when I peeped in, I saw Said Abdullah busy pressing buttons on the game console. Perhaps he was too shy to do so before us. We left after an hour, and managed to wave goodbye. The next day, the story came out in the New Straits Times and Daily Express.

On Sunday, 11th July, at 10am, exactly 48 hours after we met him, Said Abdullah left us. I found out through an SMS from Dr Ong. He had sent the SMS at about 3.30pm, but I was teaching, and only saw it at 5.30pm when I got into my car. I just stayed in my car for the longest time -- unsure what to do. Sent messages out to CWS and to friends who knew I had gone to Pulau Gaya.

Rest in peace, Said Abdullah.