Sunday March 2, 2008

Through sickness and health

By LEE YUK PENG, OH ING YEEN and FOO CHUAN YEE

Having two children diagnosed with thalassaemia was a cruel blow to Yong Lee Har. But with the help of the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department and funds raised by the Golden Sun Club, her kids were saved.

Yong, an account supervisor-turned-housewife, 38, was told that a bone marrow transplant was the only option for Zhen Hui, who was then three months old.

“After he was diagnosed with thalassaemia, doctors and nurses told me to conceive again, hoping that the bone marrow of the next baby could save him,” she said.

But while pregnant with the second child, tests showed that the foetus also had thalassaemia and the pregnancy was aborted at 11 weeks.

Yong tried again with a third pregnancy.

Happy family: Yong, the devoted mum, with her children Zhen Hui (top left), Zi Ying (right) and Mei Ting who now enjoy a new lease on life.

When she was due for a test to detect thalassaemia, Yong said she was bleeding and the doctor told her to go home as signs were all pointing to a miscarriage.

But the bleeding stopped.

“I told myself that if this baby was fated to be my child, I would accept it. Forget about the test,” she said.

She gave birth to Zi Ying, a girl, on Aug 17, 1999, who was later diagnosed with thalassaemia.

By this time, having another baby whose bone marrow could be used to save her two children became even more urgent for Yong.

So, against the wishes of her family, she had her third child, daughter Mei Ting, who was born in 2001.

While Mei Ting's bone marrow matched Zhen Hui's, which gave him hope, the family now needed money to pay for the treatment. Yong had to have at least RM100,000 to pay the operation fees for both children.

The Public Services and Complaints Bureau of MCA stepped in to help Yong raise funds in 2002 by highlighting the case in the media. The Golden Sun Club in Jalan Kuchai Lama also organised fund-raising activities for the two children.

Looking after Zhen Hui as he went through three operations in four years, and Zi Ying as well (she was the first patient given unrelated cord blood transplant at University Hospital Medical Centre) between 2002 and 2006 was a journey of hope, fear and despair, but it eventually turned to relief for Yong.

Zhen Hui had the first bone marrow transplant on Oct 3, 2002, at the age of five, using Mei Ting's bone marrow. But he showed signs of rejection, and this was confirmed in April 2003.

Doctors were puzzled as rejection, with a percentage of 5% and 10%, only happened to children nine years old or more.

While coping with the depressing news, Yong was told Zi Ying, her second child, was slotted for a transplant operation a few months later.

Zi Ying, who was then four years old, underwent the first unrelated cord blood transplant at the University Malaya Medical Centre.

“The doctors told me that my girl's operation was a test case,” said Yong.

The operation was a success and Zi Ying was discharged two months later.

While Zi Ying was recovering, doctors suggested that Zhen Hui undergo a second round of bone marrow and stem cell transplant in September 2003.

But it was only two years later, in Aug 25, 2005, that the operation was done. Unfortunately, once again Zhen Hui showed signs of rejection.

It was another blow for Yong who was cautioned that there might be no hope for her son, as doctors had presented her children's cases for study at medical conferences to as far as the United States.

Stressful months

For 10 long months, she and her husband, air-condition technician Liew Yoon Choy, took turns to look after Zhen Hui in hospital.

“I would be in the hospital during the day and he would come in after work. He slept in the hospital and I took over in the morning.

“I never told him much about Zhen Hui's condition. He was tired from working and I tried not to pressure him,” she said.

As she was hardly at home, Yong roped in her mother to stay with her and cook for the grandmother with whom she was living.

Recalling those days, Yong said she moved between home and hospital where Zhen Hui was fighting for his life and was constantly suffering from high fever.

As Zhen Hui's condition deteriorated, Yong was told to prepare for the worst.

“I even prepared the coffin and made funeral arrangements,” she said.

An unrelated cord blood transplant, where the doctors would look for a matching one from a company in Taiwan, was their final hope to save Zhen Hui. This would cost RM100,000 and Yong was given one week to raise the money.

Money raised by the MCA, Golden Sun Club and the public worth more than RM100,000 had run out and Yong was too shy to ask for help again.

Yet, fortune seemed to be on her son’s side as a matching cord blood was procured for Zhen Hui within a day.

Even more surprising was the fact that the company was willing to donate the cord blood, and his parents were only required to pay RM20,000 for administrative charges.

But there were still some hurdles to overcome. After the third operation and Zhen Hui's condition still had not improved, a desperate Yong made a vow that if he were to recover, she would be a vegetarian for the rest of her life.

Then, miraculously, Zhen Hui's condition began to improve and he was finally given a clean bill of health in June 2006.

Yong is thankful to the MCA, Professor Chan Lee Lee, and all those who have helped her and her family.

Now a Year Five pupil in a primary school in Ampang, Zhen Hui goes to UMMC for check-ups once every six weeks.

Yong has to pay RM500 a month to UMMC for the RM69,000 operation fees that she still owes the hospital, but she is very happy now that her children are well.

News Poll

Latest Jobs from Star-Jobs

Latest from StarProperty