In this deeply personal and inspiring Life & Style Podcast, we sit down with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s longest-serving Prime Minister - not to talk about politics or power but about something far more human: the heart.
At 100 years old, Tun reflects on his extraordinary journey through two major bypass surgeries, the fear and faith behind those moments and how discipline, mindset and gratitude have kept him strong through the decades.
As Tun shares his daily habits, philosophies and reflections on longevity, he also challenges Malaysians to rethink our own lifestyles - from our love for rich food to our lack of physical activity.
Tune in to this deeply human and inspiring conversation “Matters of the Heart” only on Sinar Daily’s Facebook and YouTube channel!
#LifeAndStylePodcast #SinarDaily #WorldHeartDay #TunDrMahathir #MattersOfTheHeart #HeartHealth #HealthAndLeadership #Longevity
At 100 years old, Tun reflects on his extraordinary journey through two major bypass surgeries, the fear and faith behind those moments and how discipline, mindset and gratitude have kept him strong through the decades.
As Tun shares his daily habits, philosophies and reflections on longevity, he also challenges Malaysians to rethink our own lifestyles - from our love for rich food to our lack of physical activity.
Tune in to this deeply human and inspiring conversation “Matters of the Heart” only on Sinar Daily’s Facebook and YouTube channel!
#LifeAndStylePodcast #SinarDaily #WorldHeartDay #TunDrMahathir #MattersOfTheHeart #HeartHealth #HealthAndLeadership #Longevity
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Matters of the Heart, a candid, inspiring conversation on health, resilience and the future cardiac surgery in Malaysia.
00:08Assalamualaikum and a very warm welcome to all Sina Daily's Life and Style podcast listeners and viewers.
00:13Again with me Dr. Nurhamidzah Zulkifli as your host and moderator for the session today.
00:18Welcome to our special World Heart Day edition, an exclusive edition by Sina Daily.
00:24Matters of the Heart.
00:26And today we are deeply, deeply honoured to have with us Tone Dr. Mahaveh Mohamad, Malaysia's longest serving Prime Minister,
00:35a statesman whose leadership, wisdom and resilience have shaped our nation's history.
00:41Thank you so much Tone for being here.
00:44But today we will be discussing differently.
00:47We will taking a different, slightly a different route.
00:49We're not going to talk.
00:50We're going to talk beyond than politics, beyond than policy.
00:54So we're going to talk about something which is deeply human, heart related and the power of perseverance.
01:01So Tone, we have seen your leadership, we have seen that your leadership has seen Malaysia through many milestones.
01:09But one of your most personal milestones when you first discovered that you have heart disease, when you had a blockage.
01:15So maybe you could take us back to that moment, walk through the journey.
01:20How did you first find out and what went through your mind, especially at that point of view, pick at your career?
01:26I have been trained as a doctor and as a doctor, I know the signs and symptoms of various diseases, including heart disease.
01:39And I know that one of the first things that you feel is a tightness in the chest and pain in the left arm.
01:48I was riding a horse at that time, I experienced that tightness, not painful, but tightness and discomfort.
01:59But I dismissed it.
02:03I thought, oh, it couldn't be.
02:05And following that horse riding episode, I attended a dinner, I think I ate too much.
02:19After the dinner, when I came home, the tightness in the chest was worse.
02:26I don't know how to relieve it.
02:29If I sit down, it doesn't go.
02:32If I lie down, it doesn't go.
02:34So, finally, I had to call a doctor.
02:37And the doctor confirmed that I have had a heart attack.
02:41So, I had to admit.
02:44I think I know I had a heart attack, but I don't want to admit it.
02:49I thought that it might be something else.
02:52But actually, it was a heart attack.
02:55Okay, so you hope it was something else, not a...
02:58Because heart attack, usually, most of the time people feel that it's a death sentence.
03:02So, Sutron, you have always been known as being very firm and decisive.
03:07So, when you were being told that you have a heart attack, you have a blockage,
03:10and the doctor recommended you to do a bypass surgery.
03:14So, what was going through your mind at that point of time?
03:17Did you ever have a heart attack?
03:18I was admitted to the hospital, and I was looked after by Dr. Robaya.
03:26Robaya.
03:27And she examined me and said,
03:30I've had a heart attack that there was some blockage in the arteries of my heart.
03:43And I will require...
03:45At that time, people do treat heart disease with stent.
03:51Now, now they treat with stent.
03:54But at that time, the only way to treat is to have open-heart surgery.
04:02So, Dr. Robaya told me that, well, I can have open-heart surgery.
04:11or if I don't want, they may try to give some medication.
04:20But medication doesn't work.
04:22So, it must be open-heart surgery.
04:25I accepted.
04:27I, well, I know that as a doctor, I know that is the way to deal with a heart attack.
04:38So, actually, you have not gone only once, but actually two times of bypass surgery, right?
04:45So, an experience that few people could imagine, because as a cardiac surgeon also,
04:50it's not a surgery that we want to do repeatedly.
04:54What did it feel like physically and emotionally to go through the journey?
04:58Did it change the way you viewed the life, the health?
05:03Well, I know the dangers.
05:05Yes, I know that you may not survive.
05:09And I felt that if I'm not going to survive, I will just not survive.
05:17So, I went there.
05:19I was quite calm because I accepted the problem as the usual problem faced by everyone.
05:32that one day you have to take the risk of ending your life.
05:40So, like you have said, that you accepted the decision which was being made by the doctors,
05:49the cardiac surgeon, and also the cardiologist.
05:51So, many Malaysians who probably be being diagnosed with the same disease, like what Tuan has experienced,
05:59fear of going through heart surgery under the knife.
06:02They see it's a very risky, like I said, just not even like a death sentence.
06:05So, maybe, did you have that fear at that point of time, and how did you overcome?
06:11And maybe you could advise to the Malaysians out there to seek treatment and go through the surgery.
06:16My fear was, I think it's worse than others, because I know exactly what they are going to do.
06:25They have to cut through the sternum, open the chest, and fiddle with my heart, and I asked Dr. Yahya,
06:37how are you going to cut this, this is the electric saw.
06:42I said, okay, thank you, I didn't want to be here anymore.
06:47But I know exactly what they are doing, and of course, they were worried.
06:54But I had to go through, so I accepted it.
07:00So, maybe, do you have any advices to the Malaysians out there who have, I mean, diagnosed with a heart attack,
07:08and maybe be hesitant.
07:11But nowadays, open-heart surgery is very advanced.
07:15So, the most important thing is the anesthesia.
07:21And that is done by specialists who keeps your heart and lungs functioning,
07:29even when the chest is open.
07:33So, it is frightening, yes, but it is a way to cure the heart disease.
07:44But nowadays, they don't do open-heart surgery so often,
07:50because now they have implant stent passing through the blood vessel,
07:56they put in a stent to keep the lumen open all the time.
08:01So, the treatment now is more by using stent rather than open-heart surgery.
08:09Okay, so I hope all the audience out there could take the advice from Tone regarding
08:15those who are diagnosed with cardiac disease and need to go for surgery.
08:19So, Tone, you often spoke about discipline, about whether it's in leadership,
08:25it's in time management, or even your health.
08:28So, after your surgery, what lifestyle changes did you adopt?
08:32I mean, how much of your recovery do you credit to that principle?
08:38I mean, did you ever miss all the Malaysian food like nasi lemak, titari?
08:43Yeah, after the operation, I was a bit unsure of my recovery.
08:52I was very timid, I didn't want to do anything that is violent,
08:59I mean, or trying to run or do something like that.
09:07I thought that I might displace something inside.
09:14But actually, after about two months, I find that I was okay.
09:19So, I was able to talk, I was able to make speeches and do the usual work that a prime minister does.
09:31So, actually, the healing is quite remarkable.
09:36I mean, considering that they fiddle with your heart,
09:41and they put stitches there, put in new vessels and all that,
09:47they took the vessel from the leg and implant it in the heart.
09:53So, it is very stable.
09:56And after that, I gained confidence, and I behaved like an ordinary person.
10:02So, it took you about two months plus, and then you have listened back to your normal daily activities.
10:09And at that point of time, we know that Tone is managing the country,
10:12and also at the same time managing your health as well, must have been an enormous challenge.
10:17So, how did you balance at that point of time, being the prime minister,
10:21going through the stress, ensuring that you are also staying healthy, exercise?
10:25So, there are like any moments that where you have to choose between rest and responsibility?
10:31Did the doctor say like, okay, rest, do not work too much?
10:36Well, it is really something that was with me already.
10:44From young, I was trained to be disciplined and not to complain too much.
10:53And see, I mean, that is part of the upbringing I had from my parents.
11:00So, when faced with a problem, a crisis, I have no difficulty maintaining calmness.
11:13and I don't get too excited and I don't lose my temper or anything like that.
11:22I see things as they are without feeling anything, without emotion.
11:30Of course, sometimes these things affect me personally.
11:34but I was able to control myself and I am a stickler for discipline.
11:44That I must not allow my feelings to overcome my common sense.
11:51So, that is the most important point, being very disciplined.
11:55And then, Thun, we can see that he is very disciplined.
11:58And Thun right now is already 100 years old.
12:01He is double my age, more than double.
12:04And I can see he still remains sharp, energetic, inspiring to all the Malaysians, all generations across.
12:11So, what are your daily habits or personal philosophies that have kept you so healthy and active all these years?
12:19I mean, as you see nowadays, Malaysian has become one of the most obese nation in Southeast Asia.
12:26So, but you are fit and healthy.
12:28So, maybe you could share with us your philosophy.
12:32I have always remained active.
12:35That is to say, I have worked daily.
12:38I do not like holidays where I have no work to do.
12:48I like to be working because it keeps my mind busy, it keeps my body busy.
12:55And I believe that it is good to have your whole self active.
13:02Your body and your brain should be active if it is to remain healthy.
13:08If you do not use your body, it tends to become weak.
13:13And we know, for example, bodybuilders.
13:18The bodybuilders build their body through lifting weights.
13:24So, you have to exercise the muscle before the muscle can be strong.
13:30The same thing with the mind.
13:32If you are all the time discussing, talking, writing,
13:38then the mind is active.
13:43And that is very important.
13:45So, I try to be active all the time.
13:48and when at home during holidays and I have nothing to do, I get very upset.
13:58All right.
13:59So, being very active, not just physically, but mentally also.
14:02That is how Tone has maintained to be still sharp at this point of time.
14:07I can see he is very busy with his podcast and also a lot of interviews.
14:12And going back a little bit to the, from in your surgery, your cardiac surgery.
14:17How important that you think at that point of time, when people always say family is very important
14:22in the support.
14:23That time your wife, Tone Doctor, Siti Hasma and also the rest of the family during your recovery.
14:28With her being a doctor herself, did you actually help to calm your nerves and go through the surgery and recover well?
14:38Well, she raised no problem.
14:41She is not a problem to me.
14:43She doesn't complain about anything.
14:46And as a doctor, she knows what I was going through and what discipline I have to follow.
14:53So, we hardly ever talk about the, the operation or the disease.
15:00Because that is something that she knows, I know.
15:04And, you know, it was painful.
15:08I remember once, uh, she, uh, asked a messenger to, uh, to come, and the lady saw the big scar.
15:23in the middle.
15:25And she was, she was upset.
15:28But, but my wife was not upset there.
15:30Because the, the normal thing is, uh, after surgery, there will be a big scar.
15:37And over time, it will heal.
15:40So, you're trying, um, and so what we are trying to advocate to the patients out there.
15:44Uh, family support is very, very much important, and, and, and it helps in terms of the recovery, right?
15:50So, um, okay.
15:52So, um, facing health challenges often gives people a new perspective on life.
15:59How is your heart journey undergoing two bypass surgery that have shaped the way, um, you
16:05view leadership, resilience, and also success today?
16:09One thing I felt is that, um, I was very grateful.
16:13I had a heart disease, which is, in the past, a heart disease may be the end of, of you.
16:22But through, uh, open heart surgery twice, uh, I have recovered.
16:28So, for that, I am grateful.
16:30And being, uh, grateful, I have to understand
16:35that, uh, I have to also look with sympathy for, for people that they have disease.
16:47Oh, okay.
16:48So, I was operator.
16:51I was the prime minister.
16:53So, uh, I had good treatment.
16:57But there would be many people who cannot afford.
17:01So, I feel very sorry for them.
17:04Then there must be some way of, uh, treating serious, uh, ailments
17:11which cost a lot of money for some kind of support for them.
17:16Okay.
17:18All right.
17:18So, uh, it is very important, um, as, uh, Tuan has mentioned, being, uh, he, Tuan has become empathy,
17:24I mean, like, the empathy.
17:26I mean, because after going through the two-bug cardiac surgery, right?
17:29Um, since you mentioned regarding the healthcare system, so,
17:33you were operated in Isintiut Jantun Negara, IGN.
17:36Um, and then, and at that point of time, did you, and you were the first to approve and establish IGN,
17:43and when people, I mean, we are, that time in the era of still developing cardiac surgery,
17:48did you imagine it would become one of the region's top heart centers?
17:51because now that's the main referral center in Malaysia.
17:56Well, uh, when I had my first heart attack, there was no IGN.
18:01I was, uh, taken to the general hospital, and, uh, they operated on me, and I recovered.
18:11But, uh, during the course talking about with the doctors, I found that, uh, they are
18:17not very happy with the situation because they don't have all the facilities they need
18:26to do a heart surgery, and they believed that if there is a special center, uh, it would be useful,
18:35it would be very good for Malaysia. So, at that time, I was prime minister, and, uh,
18:42uh, I wangle, uh, allocation of funds for the IGN to be built. So, IGN was built,
18:52and, uh, after that, of course, uh, my second operation was at IGN, the first in general hospital.
19:00but now IGN is, uh, well-known. Uh, lots of, uh, doctors are trained in IGN, not only Malaysian doctors,
19:10but foreign doctors as well. And I think they have, uh, built up a very good, uh, uh, organization
19:20that is, uh, highly regarded. Okay. So, that's, uh, uh, uh, important take-home message that to have,
19:29we, we need to support the healthcare systems, and to, I mean, it was a great experience that actually
19:35Tuan underwent the surgery, and then, because of that, we have IGN now, which is, has become the main
19:41referral center in Malaysia. So, um, before we, um, end this discussion, um, so, maybe Tuan could
19:51actually share one or two take-home message, uh, for the Malaysians about taking care of their,
19:57their health, especially their heart, both physically and emotionally, and, um, yeah.
20:02Well, uh, generally, people will get sick sometime or other. And as they grow older,
20:14they get even more, more sick. But nowadays, uh, the doctors know how to detect, uh, diseases which
20:27are not yet mature. For example, in the case of cancer, they can check whether there is cancer or
20:37not. Nowadays, uh, doctors examine the blood. And from the blood picture, they will be able to tell
20:46a lot of things about the functions of the internal organs of the person. And if there is cancer,
20:54there is some indication that there is cancer. So, then the thorough examination would have to be done.
21:03And cancer, for example, is, uh, uh, if treated early, you can actually kill. So, it is important that
21:14people do some checks. Maybe when they are aging, every six months, they should check, uh, on their
21:24body functions and, uh, submit to medical examination. If you do that, I think, uh, any,
21:34uh, any diseases which has not yet, uh, fled out could be detected and measures taken or medicine taken
21:45to prevent the disease from spreading. So, uh, personal health involves, of course, uh, visits to doctors.
21:59But at the same time, you have to have a certain way of life that, uh, doesn't aggravate the situation.
22:08that. If you, uh, someone who, uh, does no exercise, do not talk and all that, then you
22:18are going to, uh, to become decrepit after some time. But if you are active, both bodily and mentally,
22:29you are active, you will be able to live a good life for a long time.
22:36In terms of, uh, like McToon has mentioned, uh, getting health screen checkups, uh, to detect the
22:42disease early. Um, in terms of that, that's in terms of physically, how about emotionally? Because
22:47most of the time, some of them, they get treated, but at the back of the mind, they are still, uh,
22:52stressed because they are being diagnosed with the disease. So, maybe you could just add on in terms of
22:57the, how they could be more positive once they are being diagnosed with any diseases, especially in
23:02cardiac, uh, like, uh, if they're diagnosed with heart attack or any diseases.
23:07Yeah. Well, uh, medical science has advanced greatly nowadays. Uh, in the hospital, they can
23:18practically see the heart as it beats. Uh, we have ultrasound and other system, other equipment,
23:27which enable the doctor to see exactly what is happening. And lately, I was told that there is a
23:37new stratoscope which can diagnose, uh, certain diseases of the heart. So, there are now equipments
23:47that are available to check on the health of your body, the health of your organs. And of course, uh,
23:57we function, if our organs function well, we are okay. But, uh, we do not know what is wrong. And it is for,
24:09for, for you to get a physical, uh, medical examination because they can actually detect, uh,
24:18early signs of any disease. And when you detect diseases early, the chances of curing is better.
24:26Okay. Thank you so much, Toon. So, it's important, uh, for the audience out there to remember
24:32prevention is actually better than cure. But if you have gone through medical checkups and, uh,
24:38screening, it can be picked up early. And like Toon has mentioned, the curative rate is very high.
24:43And, um, it would be, um, healthy as normal, um, if you have been detected early. So, Toon, thank you so
24:51much for sharing your wisdom and your journey, uh, with, uh, such honesty and warmth. Uh, your
24:56story is a reminder that heart health isn't just about medicine. It's about discipline, mindset,
25:02and also gratitude. We wish you continued good health and we pray the best for you, Toon. And to
25:08all our listeners, take this World Heart Day as a reminder to care for your heart because it truly
25:13matters. Thank you again for tuning into Matters of Heart. Thank you so much, Toon. Thank you.
25:21and I'll see you next time.
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