Tuesday December 16, 2008
Little Velerie celebrates her first b’day
JOHOR BARU: Little Velerie Ann’s parents were all smiles at their daughter’s first birthday celebration and thanked The Star’s generous readers for giving their child the gift of life.
Jonathan Pillai Arul Jaga Nathan, 29, and Tio Minar Tobing, 24, were full of gratitude to The Star for raising RM97,256 for their child’s heart surgery earlier this year.
Nathan said now was the perfect time to thank the readers for their donations that helped ease the family’s financial burden in coping with the expensive cost of surgery.
Grateful couple: Nathan and Tobing with Velerie. “It was not an easy journey and everyday we did not know if she would survive the next day but we are grateful that she could make it to her first birthday,” he said at the birthday party celebration at a fast food restaurant here recently.
The story about Velerie’s complex heart disease and the need for RM481,000 for her surgery at Singapore’s Gleneagles Hospital was featured in The Star on Feb 10.
Velerie’s mother, Tobing, said that her baby’s condition had improved after two surgeries.
“She had her first surgery on Jan 14 and her second surgery was done at the KK Hospital in Singapore on July 23,” said Tobing who is eight months pregnant with their second baby.
She added that Velerie would have to undergo her third surgery at the age of three.
Tobing said Velerie could now turn on her back and grip things with her hands but that her development was only that of a seven-month-old baby.
“She has also started drinking milk from the bottle since three months ago,” she said, explaining that Velerie was previously fed via tubes.
Velerie’s grandmother Annama John Benedict, 52, said it was a blessing that her granddaughter was able to make it this far.
“She loves listening to songs, watching cartoons and looking through colourful books,” she said, describing her granddaughter as a god given miracle.
Source:
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