CJMYPhu Joon Meng, 23, was able to realise his dream of becoming a graduate when University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS) in Malaysia awarded him a Bachelor’s degree in quantity surveying under special provisions.
The special degree also known as an aegrotat degree was awarded to Phu since he was unable to complete his exams due to cancer.
The news was shared on UCTS’s Facebook page with a photo of Phu receiving his degree from the university’s vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Khairuddin Ab Hamid.
It was the first time UCTS had ever conferred an aegrotat degree which is awarded to a candidate who was unable to undertake their exams due to illness or death.
“Despite his illness, he is a very determined and hardworking student who was so committed towards his studies,” UCTS wrote in the statement.
According to The Borneo Post, Phu joined the quantity surveying programme in April 2017 at UCTS’ Sibu campus. He was an active student known as a black belt instructor at the university’s taekwondo club.
In May 2019, Phu had to defer his studies as we was diagnosed with a brain tumour in his final semester and was forced to undergo treatment at the Sarawak General Hospital.
“Because I’m in the taekwondo club, I felt very dizzy and weak after training. Initially I thought that it was because I was overexerting myself until one day, I was not doing any exercise but I felt very dizzy and was vomiting, so I went to the hospital. That’s when I found out something was wrong.”
“I did the check-up in Sibu but the doctor advised me to get a second opinion in Kuching. That was when I found out I had a brain tumour so they advised me to go for surgery, which I did on June 29 last year,” said Phu.
Phu was able to resume his studies in February this year attending his online lectures despite having to commute to the hospital regularly for treatment.
However, Phu was recently informed that the cancer has spread to other parts of his body and doctors have advised him to stop treatment and live out the rest of his days to the fullest.
Phu expressed his gratitude to UCTS for awarding him the degree and said he plans on spending quality time with his family while he is still alive.
“Health is very important. Don’t take this blessing for granted. You don’t know how it feels when this blessing — our health — has been taken away. When your health has deteriorated, you can only rely on other people to take care of you.” Phu said to New Sarawak Tribune
“All I want to do now is to spend the rest of my life with my family, especially my parents. I want to create more memories with my parents and my brothers before I leave the world,” he added.
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