SEPANG: A father was left heartbroken after his daughter, whom he had sent to school as usual yesterday, died after reportedly suffering breathing difficulties caused by an obstructed airway.
Mior Shahrizal Mior Zakaria, 48, said he rushed to Sekolah Kebangsaan Dengkil after being informed that his youngest child, Derma Damiya Nur Mikayla, was having breathing difficulties.
He said the Year One pupil was found unconscious on the second-floor corridor when he arrived.
"I tried to help her, including performing resuscitation, but she did not respond.
"About 15 minutes later, the ambulance arrived, but my daughter was still completely unresponsive," he said when met at the Pekan Dengkil Muslim Cemetery here today.
Mior Shahrizal said doctors told him the girl's airway was believed to have been blocked by food, possibly a banana or a piece of chicken, although the exact cause had yet to be established.
Recalling their time together, he said he had quit his job in early January to focus on his daughter's schooling, including sending her to and picking her up from school every day.
She attended religious school in the morning before continuing her lessons at the national school in the afternoon.
He also noticed a change in her behaviour a day before the incident, saying she appeared more independent than usual.
"Normally, she would be reluctant to shower when she returned from religious school. But yesterday, when I asked her to shower, she got up and did it herself.
"She also put on her school uniform and tudung without asking for my help, as she usually did," he said.
He described his daughter as active and close to him, adding that she often shared stories and confided in him whenever she faced problems.
Despite his grief, Mior Shahrizal said he accepted the loss as God's will.
The girl's body was collected from the Putrajaya Hospital Forensic Unit at about noon before being taken to Masjid Jamiatus Solehah in Pekan Dengkil for funeral prayers.
She was later laid to rest at the Pekan Dengkil Muslim Cemetery, where about 50 family members and relatives, including her mother, Derma Taksiah, 51, attended the burial.
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