JOHOR BARU: A foundation to provide help and inspire those affected by cancer will be setup by the Sultan of Johor. Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said he would donate RM10 million towards the establishment of the Tunku Laksamana Johor Cancer Foundation.
“My son, Tunku Abdul Jalil, is a cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer.
“We were in London when he complained of an acute pain in his arm.
“We took him to the local hospital where he underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan and the cancerous cells were spotted.
“They wanted to operate on him immediately,” Sultan Ibrahim said at Istana Bukit Serene last Friday.
He said, however, he consulted his doctors and decided against it.
“After many considerations, we decided to go to China for a transplant instead. Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), he recovered. There are no longer any tumour markers,” Sultan Ibrahim said.
He said as a father of six children, he was aware of the pain any parent would experience when their child was ill, what more if inflicted with a life-threatening illness.
“I can relate to those who have children with cancer, and I want to do my part to help them, too.
“I can say that Tunku Jalil survived because he is my son and because I had the means to ensure he received the best of treatments, but how many people out there can afford to do the same?”
“Thus, this foundation under his name will be established.
“I want every cancer victim to have the same privilege and medical attention that Tunku Jalil received, so they too will have a fighting chance,” he said.
Sultan Ibrahim said his late father, Sultan Iskandar Sultan Ismail, always reminded him to help those in need, and that it was his responsibility as a ruler to help the people.
“All of us should always think of those who are unfortunate. “Those who have the means should always walk the extra mile to help those in need.
“Thus, I urge those who have the means to support this foundation to do their part to ensure more victims beat cancer,” Sultan Ibrahim said.
Tunku Jalil underwent a transplant on Dec 10 last year at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun-Yat-Sen University in Guangdong , China, and returned to Johor on Jan 20.
The 25-year-old prince is the fourth child of Sultan Ibrahim.