GEORGETOWN: When Ezuria Edora Dzafrul Akhtar was studying for her Bachelor's Degree in Management, the 30-year-old civil servant looked forward to her convocation ceremony today.
Since her husband, Isma Farid Idris, was also pursuing his studies, Ezuria Edora had dreamed of the moment when they would receive their scrolls together.
However, that dream was shattered when Isma, also 30, passed away a month before their convocation ceremony.
Ezuria Edora added that she and her husband had even planned to pursue a Master's degree at the Centre for Distance Education after completing their Bachelor's degrees.
"Many times, he expressed how excited he was to attend the convocation ceremony with our children after five years of studying.
"Every year, we attended intensive learning sessions on campus for three weeks, except during the Covid-19 pandemic," she said when met at after attending the convocation ceremony Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) today.
Ezuria added that her husband, who worked at the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso), suddenly collapsed while playing futsal was later pronounced dead at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital on Oct 13.
"I have known my husband since Year One at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Layang, Genting Highlands, and we were classmates until Form Three at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sulaiman, Bentong, Pahang.
"However, in Forms Four and Five, we were in different classes due to being in different streams.
"I have lost not only a true companion but also a husband who was perfect and a driving force behind our achievements," she said when met at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) today.
"After his passing, I decided to postpone my plans to pursue a Master's degree so I could focus on raising our two children, Ezriq Aisy Faiqal, 7, and Elise Arish Elliya, 5," she added.
Meanwhile, her mother-in-law, Nor Hayati Abdul Wahab, 61, revealed that her youngest son, the third of three siblings, had requested that she wear white to the convocation about two weeks before he passed away.
"That request was made only to me. Before that, he had invited our family to gather in Shah Alam, Selangor, and we had lunch together.
" That was our last meeting.
"He was very close to me as my only son, and I will honour his wish to wear white," she said.