PETALING JAYA: At only nine years old, Chim Kah Qing is forced to forego the activities many other children her age would typically enjoy, such as running around or engaging in group sports.
Instead, she has to be extremely careful not to hurt herself as she suffers from aplastic anaemia, a rare but serious blood condition that occurs when one’s bone marrow cannot make enough new blood cells for the body to function normally.
Symptoms for this disease, which currently has no cure, include fatigue, long-lasting infections, and a tendency to bruise or bleed easily owing to a low platelet count. Any medications she consumes are rendered ineffective.
Chim has evidence of blood spots, clots, and broken vessels visible all over her body, in addition to countless needle marks from testing. Her mother, Gan Swee Ying, recalls being filled with fear and alarm when she first noticed these abnormalities on her daughter’s skin, and a visit to a doctor thereafter confirmed her child’s condition.
Chim now requires urgent surgery for a bone marrow transplant, without which her brain and other organs will bleed excessively and fail, potentially leading to a vegetative state or even death.
The procedure is expected to cost some RM400,000.
As she is a match, Gan is willing to donate her own bone marrow to her daughter. However, she is unable to afford the cost of the procedure as she is unemployed, having given up her job as a hairdresser to care for her daughter full-time.
She also has a 14-year-old son with disabilities who requires her attention.
As such, the single mother has turned to Persatuan Kebajikan Amal Da Ai Malaysia to help crowdfund the amount required. A non-profit established in 2017 that helps disabled and special-needs individuals, as well as families going through tough times, Da Ai is now appealing to kindhearted members of the public for donations to help cover Chim’s surgery costs.
In a video posted on the NGO’s social media, little Chim can be seen expressing frustration over her situation. “I cannot bleed, cannot be cut, and cannot fall. So I cannot go out to play. I’m angry that I have this illness,” she says.
Still, she draws some comfort from her mother, who tells her: “Be happy every day, don’t be sad.”
“Every donation from kind-hearted individuals is a tremendous source of encouragement and assistance,” their case worker, Yumi, added in a statement.
“Please let Gan know she is not alone in the process of saving her daughter’s life.”
If you wish to contribute towards young Chim’s cause, please contact Ms Yumi at 016-964 9766 or email [email protected].