“We have been living in fear and worry for the past year. The heart of our girl is like a time bomb, but we have no idea when it will explode. She will turn cyanosis whenever she cries or is overly active. The doctor suggested she undergo surgery as soon as possible. However, we can’t afford it. Please help to save our daughter!”

Three months after birth, the doctor diagnosed the now one-year-old girl, Nur Syaqinah Adawiyah Bt Muhammad Muqlis from Pendang, Kedah, with congenital heart disease. The doctor also told the parents that she had to gain a suitable weight for surgery and arranged for her parents to bring her for regular follow-up visits.

However, the girl’s condition deteriorated before she managed to gain weight. The doctor told the parents she needed surgery within a month, or her life might be at stake. Her worried parents felt helpless as they could not afford the substantial surgical expenses. Hence, they sought help for RM95,000 in her medical expenses.

【She will turn cyanotic when she cries, and her parents must curl her body up to let the oxygen slowly flow back to the whole body】

Her mother had gestational diabetes and thyroid problems during pregnancy, so the doctor performed a caesarean section after her pregnancy was full-term. The baby did not show any abnormality at birth. However, when she was three months old, her mother brought her to a doctor because of blood in her stool. The doctor referred her to a state hospital for treatment. Her blood oxygen dropped to a very low level then, so the doctor suspected she had heart disease and referred her to the general hospital for a detailed examination.

The result showed that the child had Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF), which includes ventricular septal defect, pulmonary stenosis, overriding aorta and right ventricular hypertrophy. At that time, the doctor told the parents that she needed to achieve 10kg before she could undergo surgery.

During a follow-up visit in July this year, the doctor discovered the child’s heart condition had deteriorated. She is just 6.1kg, but the expected weight for children her age should be 10kg. She is light compared to other children. The doctor then referred her to a specialist hospital for life-saving surgery.

As her family is poor, the parents did not have the money for her to see a doctor at the specialist hospital. They spent a week raising money for her consultation, and the doctor informed the parents that the girl’s condition was critical and needed surgery within two months. However, the parents were helpless as the surgical fee was substantial.

Her 31-year-old father, Muhammad Muqlis Bin Shasudin, is a factory operator with a monthly salary of RM1,500. Her 38-year-old mother, Norliza Bt Jasin, is a housewife. The couple also needs to pay for the expenses of their nine-year-old son. The family income is barely enough to support the family, and they cannot afford medical expenses. Hence, they approached One Hope Charity for help.

After reviewing the case following a home visit, One Hope Charity decided to assist the patient in raising the RM95,000 in surgical expenses. Her family agreed to fully authorise One Hope Charity to take charge of the fundraising and collect donations from the well-wishers on their behalf. Call One Hope Charity’s hotline at 04-539 9212, 016-419 2192, 019-232 2192 or 018-911 4192 if you have questions.