UPDATED: The young student who inspired netizens for attending his graduation on a wheelchair with an oxygen tank attached to him passed away on Wednesday, March 27, a day after his photos went viral.
After attending his graduation, Joemar Mangkok, 25, was rushed to St. Louis Hospital, Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat.
He went into a coma and passed away before dawn.
The photos of the young student made the rounds online for receiving his diploma despite his condition.
He finished with a degree in secondary education, major in Mathematics at the Southern Mindanao Institute of Technology (SMIT) in Sultan Kudarat.
What many netizens learned upon reading his story was something out of a movie scene.
Joemar, who has been afflicted with a rheumatic heart five years ago, is critically ill and breathed through an oxygen tank.
Despite this, he had always excelled academically. He even transferred from one college to another because he would often have to stop due to his illness.
When he was studying at SMIT, he was staying at the hospital, where he would finish his school work.
During his graduation, Joemar had to be brought via wheelchair. His condition was so severe that he immediately went back to the hospital after graduation.
Photo credit: Lynn Mangkok-Ayab
