UMK holds special convocation for graduate battling with cancer

MACHANG, Dec 17 -- Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) today held a mini convocation ceremony specially for  Abdul Halim Mat Hassan, 25, who is suffering from stage four nasal cancer at his home in Kampung Kok Kiak Baka, here.

UMK vice-chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Noor Azizi Ismail presented the scroll to Abdul Halim, having been conferred a Bachelor’s degree in Heritage Studies, witnessed by the university's top management including Student Affairs deputy vice-chancellor and UMK alumnus, Prof Dr Zaliman Sauli as well as the proud parents Mat Hassan Hammat, 63, and Mariah Ismail, 59.

Abdul Halim said he was supposed to attend the university’s 9th convocation ceremony on Oct 19 but he had to give it a miss due to his health condition.

"I felt very sad then because I was not able to put on my robe and celebrate the occasion with my friends at the ceremony.

"However, today I am so happy and thankful to UMK for their concern and trouble in organising this mini convocation ceremony which has enabled even my 109-year-old grandmother Zainab Sulaiman to share my joy." he said.

Abdul Halim the seventh of 10 siblings said he was diagnosed with nasal cancer in Oct 2017, causing the left side of his face to feel numb, swollen and painful, that also left him blind in one eye.

"As a result, I had to undergo one year of treatment including seven rounds of chemotherapy and 36 radiotherapies to kill the cancer cells," he said.

Meanwhile, Noor Azizi said the mini convocation was the second to be organised by the university as the first was held at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM) in Dec last year.

He said the ceremony held today was an initiative taken by UMK to honour Abdul Halim on obtaining his degree and to give him moral support.

"We at UMK pray that Abdul Halim be granted the strength to fight his illness and for him to gain full recovery so that he could lead a normal life," he added.

-- BERNAMA