[UPDATED] Dr Siti Hawa, first SMA patient to complete four academic levels at one university, dies

KUANTAN: Dr Siti Hawa Apandi, the country's first spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patient to complete a diploma, bachelor's degree, master's degree and PhD at the same university, died at her home here today. She was 37.

She was recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records for completing all four levels of higher education at Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA).

In a Facebook post, UMPSA expressed its deepest condolences to her family.

She was an alumni of its Faculty of Computing.

"Siti Hawa, a MBOR recipient recognised as the first SMA patient to complete continuous higher education studies at a single university, died on Oct 27," read the post.

She had been hospitalised last year with a bacterial infection and spent about 50 days in the intensive care unit at Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital here.

Siti Hawa, who breathed through a tracheostomy tube, died at her home in Taman Mahkota Aman here around 6.50am.

Her remains were taken to the Al Bukhari Nurul Aman Mosque here for funeral prayers and will be buried at the Batu 9 Muslim cemetery.

The New Straits Times has followed Siti Hawa's journey over the years, including the sacrifices of her mother, Zaidah Tamjis, 63, who moved into her daughter's university hostel to care for her during her diploma and degree studies.

Siti Hawa received scholarships for her diploma and bachelor's degree before securing sponsorship under the MyBrain programme for her master's degree. She later received a research grant to pursue her PhD.

In 2013, she received the Heitech Industry Excellence Award for outstanding computer science students. During her doctoral studies, she was also named a recipient of the Abdullah Bin Ummi Maktum Inclusive Excellence Award.

SMA is a genetic disorder that damages motor neurons in the spinal cord, progressively weakening the muscles they control.