SERI KEMBANGAN: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today graced the Tunku Azizah Fertility Foundation (TAFF) family day here.
Al-Sultan Abdullah arrived at 11am accompanied by Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah (pix) and their youngest daughter Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah ‘Athiyatullah Al-Sultan Abdullah.
At the event, Al-Sultan Abdullah presented in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment sponsorship offer letters to 60 couples in conjunction with his birthday recently.
Meanwhile, Tunku Azizah who is also TAFF’s founder and president, delivered a heartfelt speech, reflecting on the hardship she faced during the years when she was trying for a baby.
“Today, I want to express my gratitude to the king, for standing close to me when we were trying to have a baby. In the span of nine and a half years I went through 16 treatments in Singapore, England and the United States of America, and he was always with me.
“Only mothers with the same predicament will know what we went through, the longing for a baby. Other women are lucky to have children naturally, but we are tested this way, yet we never give up, and TAFF was formed to help mothers, financially and by way of continuous support,” she said in her speech.
Meanwhile, Tunku Azizah also presented TAFF pendants to two twins to commemorate their identity as babies of the foundation.
Since its inception in August 2004, TAFF has successfully funded IVF treatments for 94 couples who had given birth to 116 babies. All babies received a TAFF pendant each.
The event also celebrated TAFF’s 15th anniversary. — Bernama
