A local woman fulfilled her academic dream when she completed her Doctorate in Public Health by opting to research on cancer as her PhD thesis.
However, in a painful twist of irony, it would also be the same disease that would claim her life at the tender age of 36 years old.
M’sian woman pursues PhD on cancer research, succumbs to disease
As per a report by The Borneo Post, the woman was the late Dr Nornazirah Ahmad Kamarudin, who passed away from ovarian cancer in April of this year.
Following her passing, her parents accepted her Doctorate in Public Health posthumously during Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s (UMS) 26th Convocation Ceremony last Saturday (Dec 7).
Speaking to the news portal, Dr Nornazirah’s mother, Tursina Abdul Rahman, said her daughter was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer in 2023 but that didn’t stop her from continuing her PhD studies while undergoing treatment.
Even when she was sick, she still opened up her laptop to complete her thesis. And I think the saddest thing for me was the topic that she chose for her PhD thesis, which was cancer.
“Nornazirah was a good daughter with a high spirit and vision, so it really saddens me that she had to go so early,” she said.
As for Dr Nornazirah’s father Ahmad Kamarudin Ibrahim, he thanked UMS’ recognition of his daughter’s perseverance and dedication despite her untimely passing.
“Thank you to UMS for giving my daughter guidance throughout her journey. Although she didn’t make it to the end, but Alhamdulilah, her hard work paid off,” he said in a Facebook post shared by UMS.
Our condolences to Dr Nornazirah’s family for their loss but we’re sure they’re very proud of her achievements too!
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