KUALA LUMPUR: It was a bittersweet moment for Puteri Qistina Arisya when she scored excellent results in her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations after just losing her father during the exam period.
Puteri, 18, who attended MRSM Tun Ghafar Baba and scored 8As, 1B in her SPM examinations, was fraught with hardship due to the emotional turmoil she experienced after her father's death.
"My father passed away a day after my Pendidikan Islam (Islamic studies) paper.
"I went home and took care of everything. I was home only for three days before returning to college because there was a class for the upcoming Physics paper," she said.
Puteri's father, Zainol Hisam Ahmad, a retired teacher from SMK Bukit Naning, Muar, passed away due to kidney failure on Feb 9, 2024, at the age of 61.
"The doctor informed us that my father's kidneys were damaged from stage five chronic kidney disease and was only given three to nine months to live without dialysis.
"Additionally, he was an OKU (person with disabilities) who had lost both legs due to complications from diabetes," she said.
Zainol had been in a coma since Jan 17 which put Puteri in distress ahead of her SPM examinations.
"A few weeks before the exams started, there was a graduation ceremony, and that was the last time I saw and talked to my father.
"My father wanted to celebrate with the whole family by having dinner together that night.
"It was as if he knew his time was coming," she told the New Straits Times.
Puteri said her family continued to support her during this period, telling her to focus on her exams.
"During my exams, even though my family was busy taking care of my father, I couldn't focus.
"My older sister and brother who are both in their late 20s and working took turns to care for my father at home.
"They had already told me that if my father passed away during my SPM exams, they wouldn't inform me right away to keep me focused.
"But what child wouldn't be sad and scared, knowing that their father could 'go' anytime?"
Puteri's mother, Rosmizana Yahya, who is also a lecturer at Institut Perguruan Tun Hussein Onn in Batu Pahat, Johor, made sure Puteri could 'speak' to her father daily during his coma.
"My mother called me every day, putting the phone next to my comatose father's ear so I could talk to him and update him on my exams.
"Sometimes, my mother said, tears would roll down his cheeks even though he was in a coma," she said.
After her father's death, Puteri insisted that her friends and teachers not offer condolences directly, fearing it would make her more emotional.
This, she added, along with the unwavering support from her family and school, helped her to maintain her focus.
"The subject I got a B in was Physics and I think it was because of my emotional state.
"At that time, I had four more papers to sit for, but thankfully, I did well in all the other three papers and got As," she said.
Puteri said that her father had encouraged her to stay focused on her exams regardless of what happens and his unwavering belief in her capabilities motivated her to persevere.
Puteri was extremely grateful for her family's support, particularly her mother's efforts to keep her father involved in her journey, even in his final days.
"I am proud and will always show that I am strong and can achieve my goals even though I was emotionally unstable.
"Today, I am grateful that I can fulfil my late father's wishes of seeing me succeed in school and hopefully become a lawyer one day.
"This journey has been so valuable to me because not everyone gets to experience it."
TAGS: SPM, results, 8As, straight As, excellent, MRSM, daughter, comatose, father, kidney disease