Al-Fatihah to Kak Illah

1st May is a holiday to most of us. It's the workers days and most of you are holidaying somewhere or just resting at home.

But for me, 1st May is the day when I lost someone dear to me. It's almost 4 months after I've lost the most dearest person in my heart. Now I lost another person whom I have so much respect for.

Fondly known as Kak Illah to me, Auntie Illah to my kids or Datin Fathilah to some, is my sister-out-law. She lost the battle against cancer after almost 4 years. Started from breast cancer then spread to the lungs. She never give up to stay alive and give other people the reason to survive as well. But Allah loves her more than we do and she had her last breath at Maghrib time yesterday at Damansara Specialist Hospital after 3 weeks on the life-support machine.

She was laid down to rest in peace at Bukit Kiara Cemetery at about 11.00 am today, Friday 2 May 2008.

Kak Illah will be remembered for her kindness, her concern
for others, and supporting others when they need it most.

It won't do me justice if I didn't write good things about her. If you were to ask me how should she be remembered, I would simply summarize her below:

1. Kak Illah is a caring person. Since Kak Illah is having the same predicament with my late wife Ky, she would share with Ky whatever she had. If she is going for a traditional alternative treatment, she would get Ky to go together with her even to Indonesia. I had always be grateful for what she had done for Ky.
   
2. She never allow a guest leaving her home with empty stomach. Whenever we visited her, she would take the trouble to prepare some food for us. It doesn't matter what the food is. But she'll make sure that we ate something before we leave. I remember the last time I went to her house to drop something and she and Abg Ad was having tea. She make sure that I sit with them join them for a drink. Not only that, she would give me something whatever she has at home at that time. If it's durian season, I would be bring back home some durian. Worst to worst, she would packed me some frozen curry-puff or kuih badak she just bought from somewhere. The point is "she has to give us something when we visited her".
   
3. She is a person with traditional value. Being part of this big extended family, you never get away from weddings of nieces or nephews. And when Kak Illah is healthy, she would go all the way to make sure that the traditional wedding should take place. She would be our "adat istiadat" adviser. Especially when her children got married. She would go to the details so that things would turn out properly.
   
4. Love to do "amal jariah". I remember when my late wife and I voluntarily organized a talk by Ustaz Yassin on "Redha Menghadapi Penyakit" at KGPA but she can't attend due to some other commitments. She knew that we needed the money to cover the rental of the hall, notes, speakers fee and all that. And she donated a few hundred ringgits to cover the rental of the hall. But she didn't want other people to know. We tahnks her for that.
5. She love malay oldies. With this side of the our family who love to sing karaoke during family gatherings, Kak Illah would gladly sing some malay oldies. Believe me, she do have a good voice that suit that malay oldies.
6. She is a good participant for family events. You see in this side of our family, we love to have "theme" nite during the family gathering. For example, we once had to dress "black and white". And she will wear what supposed to be worn that night. And I believed she won for the best dressed woman.
   
7. She and Abang Ad attends almost all functions. Believe me, she and Abang Ad will attend all invitations whenever they could and when times permit. What amazes me most is that they will attend even there were 3 or 4 invitations in a day. You be grateful when people like them attend your function knowing that they had been to 3 other functions before yours.
8. She is gentle. I never heard she raised her voice even though she is angry. She will keep quiet and only speak few words.
   

I know there more things to write but I'm now out of words for her. But I know she is a great person at heart.

The last few photo of her during our Tambun Trip last year.
We knew she wasn't that well either but she didn't want to
disappoint others, so she came along. She was admitted to
the hospital immediately when she came back from the trip.



The loving couple- Kak Illah & Abang Ad.

To Kak Illah. May Allah place you amongst the chosen ones. You'll always be remembered as a person who cares for others and at times goes beyond what is expected from you. May you now rest in peace after struggling with this battle of cancer for years. All of us will miss your dearly Kak Illah. Al Fatihah.