A young woman who was just weeks away from celebrating her 23rd birthday succumbed to her illness after spending months battling leukemia.
Her passing was mourned by both her family and Universiti Malaya (UM), where she was a third-year student under its Japanese Programme.
Scored 4.00 for STPM
According to Sin Chew Daily, Cindy Wong Xin Yee was recognised as one of Perlis’ most outstanding students after she achieved a perfect 4.0 for STPM in 2023.
Wong was also active in co-curricular activities, where she served as the chairman, conductor and saxophonist of her secondary school’s brass band and took part in sprinting and basketball competitions.
She told reporters at the time that she loved Japanese animation since childhood and dreamed of becoming a Japanese translator during her STPM studies. This then led her to pursue a degree in Japanese language at UM.
Diagnosed with leukemia
In the middle of 2025, Wong suddenly fainted after experiencing severe abdominal pain and was diagnosed with late-stage leukemia in October.
Despite her illness, Wong never gave up on her studies and continued attending online classes and sat for exams while maintaining good academic results, according to her best friend.
“Wong was an optimistic and outgoing person. Because of this, she chose not to let many relatives and friends know about her illness. Her perseverance and determination made her an inspiration to those around her.
“She also originally planned to apply for a student exchange programme in Japan last year, but visa issues forced her to postpone the application until this year,” he added.
Died weeks before birthday
Sadly Wong never got to see that dream fulfilled as she eventually passed away on July 18 at 3.11am at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), just two weeks shy of her birthday on Aug 7.
To honour her memory, Wong’s family decided to make an anime-themed wake ceremony, where photos of her favourite anime characters were printed out to accompany her on her final journey.
UM also paid a tribute to Wong in a Facebook post, writing that “her strength and dedication deeply inspired her lecturers and classmates.”
The funeral will be held today followed by cremation at the Kilat Bahru Perantau crematorium.
Our condolences to Wong’s family for their loss.
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