Abdullah's wife stable: Report

Abdullah's wife stable: Report

MALAYSIA: Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's wife is in a stable but weak condition following treatment for breast cancer, local media reported on Sunday.

Endon Mahmood is a huge source of inspiration for Abdullah, and many political analysts say she encouraged him to pursue the leadership. Abdullah, 65, took power late in 2003, the chosen successor of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad.

"Having undergone five courses of chemotherapy over the last two months, her condition is stable, but weak," Hisham Abdullah, Endon's doctor, said in a statement published in The Star newspaper. "We are pleased to note that she has made notable, albeit slow progress."

Endon, aged 64, was diagnosed with breast cancer soon after her twin sister Noraini was stricken with the ailment in 2002.

Since then, she has made regular trips to the United States for treatment with a type of chemotherapy not available in Malaysia, but said to be effective against breast cancer.

Endon returned home this month following weeks of treatment in Los Angeles, but immediately went into hospital to guard against secondary infections, on her doctor's advice. -- Reuters