Ms. Nursha Ismail reported that her former coworker and friend, Mohammad Asri Sunawan, was frequently contacted by strangers when he was out in public. He was always kind and friendly. Ms. Nursha, a broadcast journalist from Berita Mediacorp, remarked, “He always took time to stop and converse with each and every one of us that approached him.”
After Wednesday’s announcement of Asri’s death, she spoke to TODAY (Feb 8). Asri, also known as Riz Sunawan, was 45 years old when he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2018. He had previously worked as a broadcast journalist for the same TV news station.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), widely known as Lou Gehrig’s illness, is a neurodegenerative disorder. Eventually, patients will become unable to move because their muscles controlling activities like swallowing, speaking, and breathing will become too weak. No treatment exists for it. Despite his impairment, Asri has continued to make valuable contributions to society.
For instance, in March 2021, he co-founded the Motor Neurone Disease Association Singapore to aid other people living with the disease and their families. To bring attention to the issue and to help pay for his treatment, he released a multilingual book he co-wrote in December of last year.
Source: Republic Monitor
Until his departure in 2015, he worked as a radio host, journalist, and TV newsreader for Berita Mediacorp. Ms. Nursha remembered how kind and helpful he was when she wrote her first news story, and she described him as a loving mentor who was always willing to share information.
He gently advised me every step of the way, from brainstorming to writing to editing to final packing. And after the broadcast, he encouraged me to be proud of my work as my first bylined news item. Former newsreader and communications expert Nity Farhana Dolhamid said that Asri had groomed her for her 2014 position.
“Riz was there from the first day of training till my debut to make sure I was well-prepared,” she stated.
Ms. Nity said that Asri’s enthusiasm for assisting his coworkers was equally impressive in addition to his commitment to his profession. Members of Asri’s family told Berita Mediacorp on Wednesday that he passed away at 10:46 a.m. Ms. Linda Sunawan, his sister, 33, reported to the Mediacorp Malay news and current affairs section that her brother’s illness had been worsening over the last week.
Asri’s father, Mr. Sunawan Dasuri, 74, spoke with TODAY in the month leading up to the book’s release and characterised his son as someone who cares deeply about his work and the people around him.
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