'More than just a moment': A photo that will be treasured forever

As Dr Hasmah Ali was lowered into her final resting place, the nation caught a heartbreaking glimpse of the man who had shared seven decades of his life with her.

Seated in a wheelchair, an oxygen tube beneath his nose, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad struggled to contain his grief.

Tears streamed down the face of the 101-year-old as he confronted the painful reality of saying goodbye to the woman who had been by his side for more than 70 years.

But amid the solemnity of the funeral, three people standing beside Mahathir drew attention of their own.

One, a young Chinese man dressed in blue, could be seen openly sobbing as he gently rubbed Mahathir’s back.

The deeply moving moment was captured on video and quickly spread across social media, drawing an outpouring of appreciation from netizens touched by the young man’s gesture of compassion.

He was physical therapist, Kelvin Choo (above).

Beside him stood a Malay doctor and an Indian nurse, quietly keeping vigil over the former premier as he mourned the loss of his lifelong companion.

‘More than just a moment’

In a social media post last night, Choo shared a photograph which captured a tender moment between him and Hasmah before her passing.

“More than just a moment captured. This is a memory I will carry with me always,” he wrote.

“Hasmah was someone I deeply respected and admired. To have had the honour of being there, and to share even a small part of her journey, is something I will always treasure.

“Some moments become memories, and some memories become a part of heart forever,” Choo added.

Previously, Dr Iskandar Mirza Amran from the National Heart Institute (IJN), who was one of three medical personnel at Mahathir’s side, said seven people from IJN’s team had treated and supervised Mahathir and Hasmah.

"Last Sunday, I was on a 24-hour shift. Yesterday morning, we received a 'code blue', which meant an emergency involving Hasmah.

"I was among those called on to perform CPR on her before her passing was confirmed," he told the New Straits Times.

On duty during funeral

Following Hasmah’s death, Iskandar was assigned to accompany Mahathir throughout the burial, while other members of the medical team attended to another important procedure.

After videos and photographs of the three caring for Mahathir later went viral on social media, Iskandar said he received numerous calls from those expressing their appreciation.

"When I hear the thanks and appreciation from the people, it makes the exhaustion from working for 40 hours worthwhile," he said.

Meanwhile, the couple’s head nurse, K Divya Barathy (above, standing), said she was struck by the depth of the bond between Mahathir and Hasmah as she witnessed his grief during the funeral.

"We helped him keep his hands clean, gently massaged his legs for comfort, and stayed close by.

"I found it difficult to simply say, 'It's okay, Tun' or 'Tun, you have to be strong', because I could see how deep their love for each other was.

"I did not want to diminish his grief with simple words. At that moment, we just wanted him to know that we were there for him," she was quoted as saying.

Divya also revealed that just a day before her passing, Hasmah had expressed her gratitude to the medical team who had cared for her and Mahathir over the past five years.

Hasmah, 100, died at IJN at 9.20am on Sept 28. She was buried at the National Cemetery in Putrajaya.

Mahathir and Hasmah first met as medical students at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore in the late 1940s, where their friendship gradually blossomed into romance.

Seven years later, the two doctors married in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 5, 1956. They went on to have seven children and remained together through Mahathir’s rise from a doctor in Kedah to prime minister, and throughout his two terms leading the country.

SNAPSHOT | Dr M leaves IJN to visit Hasmah's grave; MACC denies serving notice to Saravanan's minor son

LETTER | Remembering Hasmah's generosity, service to the nation

Condolences pour in for Dr Hasmah, to be accorded state funeral