30-04-2025
Remembered as the tiny girl who attended Year 1 in a motorised chair, Zurin Hazlien dies at age 21
KUANTAN: Zurin Hazlien Abd Halim captured the nation's attention more than a decade ago when she used a custom motorised chair to attend school. She died today at age 21.
She died at Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital here about 5am, believed to be due to heart disease.
Her father, Abd Halim Sulaiman, 48, said Zurin Hazlien had been warded at the hospital since Monday after falling sick last week.
"She became unwell last week, so we took her to a clinic. The doctor referred her to Pekan Hospital. She was later transferred to Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital for further treatment.
"During treatment, she complained of chest pain, but she was still able to speak and eat.
"The doctors said her heart vessels were blocked. But because they were very small, surgery was not an option. So she was treated with medication," he said when contacted today.
Abd Halim said Zurin Hazlien apologised to him before he left the hospital yesterday.
"When I visited her, she talked about wanting to rest at home.
"My wife, Zurinah Tabingin, and I have accepted her death."
He said his daughter would be buried at the Kampung Sungai Miang Muslim cemetery after funeral prayers at Masjid Sungai Miang.
In 2011, Zurin Hazlien made headlines when she enrolled in Year One at SK Sungai Miang standing at only 60cm tall.
She could not use the school furniture and relied on a custom motorised chair designed by Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah.
Her brother, Mohd Zulhanif, enrolled at the same school in 2007. He also has dwarfism and was only 72cm tall at the time.
In 2023, the siblings said they wanted to be independent and aimed to take up short courses to secure stable jobs to support their family.
