Eight-year-old cancer patient's wish of riding train comes true

KUALA LUMPUR - There was sheer bliss on the face of an eight-year-old boy with leukemia when his dream of riding a train came true today.

What made it more special was that Ahmad Faizal from Bukit Antarabangsa, Selangor was taken to ride a special train decorated with the popular ‘Thomas and Friends’ characters starting from Ampang LRT Station to Chan Sow Lin LRT Station, in addition to having the opportunity to visit the Ampang Rapid Rail Complex.

The initiative was made possible, thanks to Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana) as a rail operator in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation, Make-A-Wish Malaysia which is concerned with Ahmad's fate since he was diagnosed with leukemia in November last year.

Ahmad Faizal’s mother, Nur Syafiqah Ahmad Alimi, 34, said her son had expressed his wish to ride a train that is inspired by the Thomas and Friends cartoon in Japan and was very excited about the toys and videos related to the animation at home.

"Although we didn't make it to Japan due to lack of budget, the dream of riding a train decorated with Thomas and Friends cartoon characters, is enough to make our family happy.

"I'm grateful and touched by what Prasarana has done for Ahmad including the train-related game activities to make him happy," she told Bernama here.

Nur Syafiqah, who is also a housewife, said Ahmad, the elder of two siblings, was diagnosed with leukemia at medium risk and was still receiving follow-up treatment at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Rapid Rail chief executive officer Amir Hamdan said the efforts was part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) to make dreams come true and spread joy to children who need support.

"We are grateful to be able to fulfil Ahmad Faizal’s dream who is very passionate about the Thomas and Friends cartoon series and hope that this kind of initiative can boost his spirit to remain strong to fight what he is going through now," he said. - BERNAMA