KUALA LUMPUR: It has been five years since actress and Elite singer Linda Rafar lost her second son Memen to cancer.
His final moments remain fresh in her memory, and she tears up whenever she talks about them.
In an Instagram post yesterday, Linda, 41, uploaded a video which showed her being interviewed by a magazine, about Memen's battle with the Big C.
She said that Memen or Rezaimen Keiflin Keifli, was 12 when he succumbed to Burkitt lymphoma at Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) in Bandar Tun Razak on July 5, 2014.
"He faced his end with courage, and willed all his toys to his younger siblings. All of us were at his bedside when he breathed his last," said Linda.
She revealed that she forked out RM23,000 on a drug which was recommended by his doctor, which would hasten the death of cancer cells in his body.
"It was supposed to be very effective, and he had to consume it for a month. Alas, a month passed and the cancer struck back with a vengeance.
"It got so bad that lumps emerged on his chest, and he found it difficult to breathe."
The doctors soon found out that Memen's cancer had become terminal, but he could still undergo chemotherapy to ‘fight it as long as possible’.
"The chemotherapy agonised us. He suffered bleeding from his nose and ears, and even got his kidneys damaged.
"I decided to motivate him to fight it, I told him everything is in God's hands, people with cancer can beat the disease, and I know he's a very strong boy," said Linda.
She said that Memen was able to walk, laugh and chat with visitors who were mostly his school friends who came to cheer him up. She even took him for seaside picnics and camping.
"He never complained of pain, but began to vomit and was unable to eat regular meals. Then came the shock of my life, the doctors discovered a 1 kilogram tumour in his stomach."
Memen courageously endured chemotherapy, and from time to time well-wishers presented him with gifts.
"He politely declined chocolates, and opted for toys and games meant for pre-teens such as Lego and Playdoh. These, he told me, would be his gifts to his younger siblings."
Linda said she chose to share her son's fight with cancer in order to encourage Netizens whose loved ones suffered from the disease, to be strong and resilient.
Memen, whose father is Linda's former husband, motor racer Keifli Othman, spent four months in HUKM battling cancer.
Linda, a mother of four, dedicated her 2018 song Satu Lagi to Memen. It was written and composed by Edry Abdul Halim of KRU.
She also wrote a book, Menunggumu Di Pintu Syurga, about her son's battle with cancer in 2015.
Linda married actor Syed Aiman Syed Mahmud in 2006.
Linda’s Instagram video