MELAKA: A simple question from a young boy to his ailing mother during a visit by Hang Tuah Jaya PKR chief Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin left the politician visibly moved.
As those accompanying Shamsul Iskandar gathered for a Ramadan visit at a home in Taman Peruna, Sungai Udang on Tuesday (March 10), six-year-old Muhammad Rasul Makail turned to his mother.
The boy asked if she would still be with him to celebrate the coming Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
His mother, Siti Noracikin Zakaria, 41, who is battling stage four stomach cancer, could only reassure her son with hope.
"My son asked me whether I would still be with him to celebrate Hari Raya. I told him 'God-willing' and if a miracle happens, maybe I will also be here to celebrate next year," she said.
Siti Noracikin was diagnosed with stomach cancer last year but her condition has deteriorated rapidly.
The housewife, who has five sons aged between six and 21, said she is counting her days and has told her children to accept the will of the Almighty.
Despite her worsening health, she also cares for her 42-year-old husband who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2022 and is now partially blind.
Shamsul Iskandar, the former senior political secretary to the Prime Minister, said the encounter left a deep impression on him.
"She is a strong woman and willing to accept her fate. I think many of us would have broken down if we were in her shoes," he said.
During the visit, he also met a single mother raising three children in the same housing estate.
He gave both families some cash along with Hari Raya necessities.
