Thursday night I was enjoying a slow brisk back to my home at around 8pm, when my friend texted to inform me that my primary school CCY had passed away.
You see, my friend had been suffering from some kind of rare and aggressive cancer that knocked him out within months. He discovered he had a solid lump in him and consulted a doctor and apparently underwent a surgery to remove them, to no avail. It came back and grew. Eventually he found a doctor who diagnosed him with some cancer that made him the 3rd case in Malaysia.
Chemotherapy didn't help.
He gave it up.
In December 2022 he found he was sick. In June 2023, he stopped treatment because I was told the ineffective treatment was making him sicker than the disease itself.
He was depressed, sad, and refused to meet anybody. I didn't even know from him. I was told by my friend behind his back. He did not want anybody to know and refused to see anybody.
I was hoping I could see him one last time.
It never happened.
We drifted apart after our path diverged after Form 6, but he remained a close friend.
I shed my tears I hadn't been shedding for years. I couldn't attend his funeral while I was in another country.
Rest in peace, my dear friend. I hope, wherever you are now, you'll get to rest and have peace. I hope you're surrounded by love and bliss, something you're very much well deserved of.