KUALA LUMPUR: Former One In A Million 3 contestant and lead vocalist of Coco, Zulqarnain Jaafar has described the sacrifices of his wife, Feride Hikmet Atak as tremendous.
The singer better known as Nine, 43, has been suffering from a cerebellar stroke with brainstem damage for the past three months, uses a wheelchair and only drinks milk through a tube.
In an interview with Harian Metro yesterday he said: "By God's will, I am living my life as usual. I am grateful for what has happened.
"At first, I had a heart attack last July and then a stroke. I was treated in hospital for a long time, and I would like to thank everyone who prayed for my recovery.
"I am indebted to my wife, Feride, who has made great sacrifices for me and our children," he said.
Nine said that his strength to recover came from the fighting spirit of his wife and children who stayed calm and positive while taking care of him.
"My wife gives me a lot of support and is always positive."
The father of two girls is currently in his recovery phase and undergoing physiotherapy sessions.
Nine said that he was lucky to have received strong support and encouragement from his parents and family members to stay strong.
"My hope now is to get healthy again."
Nine said that he could still play musical instruments and had no plans to leave his artistic career because music is his second love after his family.
Feride is a former entertainment journalist with Berita Harian.