PENDANG: Hafyzoh Abd Rahman, 21, never anticipated that a casual WhatsApp chat with her sister Faridah would leave a lasting emotional impact on her family.
Hafyzoh recalled that her elder sister had sent her a humorous message via WhatsApp on April 18, while she was traveling home for a holiday.
The memory of the message, which had seemed lighthearted at the time, has stayed with her.
Little did Hafyzoh know that it would be one of the last words she had with her sister, a non-commissioned officer with the Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), who died unexpectedly yesterday.
"My sister was in Dubai on transit and informed us that she would be coming home. I suggested that she could have just surprised us, but she replied, 'What if it ends up being just a white cloth (that returns), that would be a surprise'.
"Although she said that, we initially didn't think much of it. But now, with this situation, her words keep replaying in our minds.
"It's heartbreaking, but we are all accepting it, including my brother-in-law and mother who were very close to her," she said when met in Kampung Sungai Mati, Tobiar, today.
Faridah, 38, a sergeant who was senior supervisor of Islamic affairs for Malbatt 850-11, was confirmed dead at 2.25am Lebanese time (7.25am Malaysian time) yesterday.
She had only gotten off the bus at Marakah Camp after spending a month in Malaysia on holiday when she collapsed.
Faridah was confirmed dead by a Malbatt medical corps officer.
Hafyzoh said her sister had said that if anything happened to her, at least she had seen all four of her children during her last holiday.
She said that Faridah posted on her social media that she felt unwell throughout her return trip to Lebanon last Saturday.
"My sister posted a WhatsApp status saying the journey felt terrible, something she had never experienced before, even mentioning dizziness. I saw the status at 10.17am yesterday. When I sent her a message, she didn't respond, and when I called her friend, they informed me that she had collapsed," she said.
Meanwhile, Faridah's husband, Noor Azmi Ariffin, 39, a retired soldier, said his wife showed no signs of distress during her holiday and was actively engaging with their four children.
"There were no signs because she seemed very happy spending time with the children. We went everywhere together. When this happened, I was shocked. The military informed me about the incident around 10.30am yesterday," he said.
He added that Faridah, who had served in the military for 18 years, was dedicated to her job and well-liked by many.
"She went to Lebanon last November and was home for a holiday this time... she seemed very happy, and we are accepting it. All the children have come to terms with the news except the youngest, who keeps asking about their mother.
"We hope the process of bringing her body home goes smoothly so that she can be buried here. The military said it would take some time," he said.