KUALA LUMPUR: He fought ferocious battles against Chin Peng’s Communist Party of Malaya and the terrorists in East Malaysia for nearly a decade, deep in the jungles.
He was also fit as a fiddle, running 10km daily even as a 58-year-old.
Three weeks ago, former Royal Ranger Regiment officer Lieutenant-Colonel (Rtd) Morgan Ramayan had his right leg amputated below the knee following a sudden heart ailment.
Insufficient blood flow on Morgan’s legs after a heart operation resulted in the amputation of his limbs when gangrene set in.
Morgan had his toes on his left leg amputated, too, following the heart surgery at the National Heart Institute (IJN).
The father of three daughters and a son said he was diagnosed with heart complications last September.
“After recovering from medication, I sought opinions at Kuala Lumpur Hospital and IJN.
“I underwent an angiogram at IJN and it was confirmed that there were problems with my heart and that I had to undergo surgery,” said Morgan after being presented with a RM16,000 cheque at Tuanku Mizan Armed Forces Hospital in Wangsa Maju.
The money was raised by his fellow multiracial veteran officers from the armed forces tri-services — army, navy and air force — who rallied to pass the hat around upon hearing Morgan’s ordeal.
Among those present were former army inspector-general Major-General (Rtd) Datuk S. Jeyabalan, former 1st Infantry Brigade commander Brigadier-General (Rtd) Datuk Shabani Ali, Royal Malaysian Navy representative Commander (Rtd) Mohan Ayappan, Royal Malaysian Air Force representative Colonel (Rtd) Bhupindar Singh and Lieutenant-Colonel (Rtd) T. Subramaniam, who initiated the fund raiser.
Others were Morgan’s wife, Major R. Jayalakshmi, from the Army’s Royal Services Corps and who is pursuing a Master’s degree with the Malaysian National Defence University, and daughters M. Praveena, 16, and M. Kirthana, 14.
Morgan said after his retirement from the army after 36 years in January 2016, he had been actively “jumping around with my daily chores”.
“After the heart surgery, I once collapsed when my heart stopped for nearly six minutes but doctors revived me. God is very kind to keep me alive.
“I wish to thank my fellow officers for their great support to keep me going,” said Morgan, who had served with the ranger’s fifth, ninth and tenth battalions.
Morgan had also served as a peacekeeper with the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) in 2005 and 2006.
Jayalakshmi expressed her gratitude to the veterans for their kind gesture in raising the contribution to ease her family’s financial burden.
“I wish to thank you for your prayers and moral support during my family’s difficult times, in caring for my husband.”