Angkasawan's space dream intact

KUALA LUMPUR: Angkasawan Major Dr Faiz Khaleed's dream of going into space is still intact.

This follows a four-hour surgery to reattach eight tendons on his left wrist after he was slashed in an armed robbery in front of his house in Taman Mawar, Cheras, on Wednesday.

A Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre team, headed by consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon Datuk Dr Zulkharnain Ismail, began performing the surgery at 2pm on Wednesday, 12 hours after the attack.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who visited Dr Faiz at the medical centre yesterday, said the doctors managed to save his hand.

"He can move his fingers. He lost a lot of blood and sustained a deep wound close to the bone.
"He will be warded for a week and undergo intensive physiotherapy."

He is expected to recover fully in three months and continue with his space programme, said Najib who met Dr Faiz for 10 minutes after arriving at the medical centre at 12.55pm.

Also present during the visit were Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Jamaludin Jarjis, Dr Faiz's mother Maznah Mohamed and father Khaleed Abdullah.

Dr Zulkharnain said Dr Faiz required more than 100 stitches for the 5cm wound.

"Fortunately, there were no bone fractures.

"The injury was sustained as Dr Faiz warded off his attacker," said Dr Zulkharnain.

Meanwhile, Dr Faiz said he panicked as everything happened very quickly and suddenly during the 2am robbery.

"I can vaguely remember the face of my attacker whom I believe is an Indonesian," he said.

Recounting the robbery, Dr Faiz said he had just alighted from a Perodua Kenari when two youths on a motorcycle approached them.

"One robber brandishing a parang confronted me, while the other placed a parang to the neck of my friend in the car.

"At that instant, I feared for my friend's life and attempted to distract the robbers' attention.

"Just then, one of the robbers came for me. I responded by kicking him, prompting the second robber to throw his parang at me," said Dr Faiz.

As Dr Faiz's friend screamed for help, he activated the remote control of the gate of his house.

"This made the robbers panic as they dashed off with my friend's gold necklace.

"I could not make out the registration number of the motorcycle," he said.

Dr Faiz said he had earlier gone for supper in the city with his friend whom he had not met for eight months.

Other than the wrist wound, Dr Faiz said he sustained slight bruises to his body, while his friend was not hurt.

"I hope to recover fully soon and am eager to resume my space training programme next year," said Dr Faiz.