Kidney patient receives donation from St Joseph’s class of ’77 schoolmates

May 29, 2019

Abdul Karim alongside (from left) Goh, Ikhwan and Tai hands over the donation to Romawi

KUCHING: Fifty-nine-year-old kidney patient Awang Romawi Awang Mais received a special visit from his classmates of St Joseph’s School class of 1977, including Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

While there, they handed over a donation of RM20,000, which was collected among their former classmates, to Romawi in an effort to aid his kidney dialysis treatment at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Dialysis Centre.

According to Abdul Karim, Romawi is currently suffering from an acute kidney failure, requiring him to undergo dialysis treatment there.

“He was our classmate in St Joseph’s school back in 1977 and we’ve known him from Form 1 to Form 5.

“To see him receiving dialysis treatment for his kidney failure prompted us to do a fund-raising activity and we managed to collect RM20,000. Even our (former) classmates who are currently working overseas would chip in for the donation.

“In conjunction with the month of Ramadan, we have donated the fund to aid him for his treatment and also to help him celebrate this coming Aidilfitri with joy,” he said when met by reporters after handing over the donation to Romawi at the NKF Dialysis Centre, here yesterday.

Abdul Karim was accompanied by Raymond Goh Boon Phing, Ikhwan Zaidil, and Stephen Tai.

Abdul Karim said despite of differences in terms of religion and race, he and his former classmates were willing to help Romawi.

“The things that we did to ease Romawi’s burden is a reflection of our society here in Sarawak.

“Our (former) classmates, though of different religion and races, would unite and lend a helping hand to him.”

According to Ikhwan, Romawi who was a sportsman, had to leave his career due to kidney failure and he had been receiving dialysis treatment there for six years.

Goh said that one of their former classmates, Dr Dennis Kong, led the fund-raising activity.

“Dr Kong who is an eye specialist at Jalan Mendu is the prime mover of various activities done to our classmates of St Joseph’s class of 1977, including fund-raising activities for those in need,” he noted. -ThyeBorneoPost