Cancer patient’s wish to have floral-themed party in a beach setting fulfilled
KOTA KINABALU: Nur Atikah Lim Mohd Khari Lim, 10, was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer in November last year.
And according to her father Mohd Khairi Lim Salim, Atikah had always wanted to have a floral-themed party in a beach setting for her 10th birthday.
Atikah’s wish was granted by Petronas when it hosted a surprise birthday party for her at the Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort here last Saturday.
Mohd Khairi, 42, and his wife Asilah Lausip 35, are thankful to Petronas for making their daughter’s wish come true.
When met by reporters at the birthday celebration last Saturday, he said, “This is a huge surprise for Atikah.
We thank Petronas for organising it because we would not have been able to organize such a grand celebration for her.” Atikah, a Standard Four pupil from Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Pei Wen in Ranau, had to stop going to school after being diagnosed with cancer last year.
She was therefore excited to see some of her classmates and teachers who took the two-hour journey from Ranau to attend her birthday celebration.
Relating to reporters what they had gone through since November, Mohd Kairi an auxiliary policeman with Telekom Malaysia and Asilah, both from Ranau, said their eldest daughter developed health complications late last year.
“Atikah started to have issues with her stomach, it swelled up to the extent that it caused her to have breathing problems.
So we brought her to the district hospital and private clinic to find out what was wrong.
“We were then advised to consult a specialist and subsequently brought Atikah to the Likas Women and Children Hospital for a check-up and that was where she was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer,” they said.
It all happened in a span of a few weeks and upon learning that their eldest child had cancer, Mohd Kairi admitted that he felt down and was only able to pick himself up emotionally after three weeks.
“She is our first born and she is the one who made us parents.
I haven’t had enough time with her, but I am hopeful for her recovery,” Mohd Kairi tearfully said, adding that he and Atikah while she undergoes chemotherapy, are now temporarily staying with his sister in Telipok.
Asilah who is now a fulltime housewife, stayed back at Kampung Lingkudou in Ranau to look after the couple’s other four children aged between six months and nine years old.
She said Atikah is courageous as she knows about her condition adding, “but maybe, because she is young, she thinks what she has is a normal ailment.”
Atikah has not complained about any pain from the chemotherapy but has said that her body is heaty and this condition requires her to be in an air-conditioned room so that she can be comfortable.
Atikah, her parents said, has undergone four chemotherapy sessions and is scheduled for surgery on Feb 14 to remove the growth in her right ovary.
Her birthday celebration is part of Road to Petronas 50 Years Festive Dreams campaign.
She is the first Sabahan recipient of the campaign.
Petronas is celebrating its 50th anniversary and has lined up programmes to commemorate this milestone.
Among them is the Road to Petronas 50 Years Festive Dreams campaign, where the company aims to fulfil 50 dreams nationwide during festive seasons this year.