She needed RM78,000 for a specialised implant to help her nine-year-old daughter, Yaashika Steven Dass, breathe normally through her nose.
The surgery was not just a medical procedure, but a chance for her child to live without struggle, to breathe freely, and to experience a quality of life that had been out of reach.
What happened after her story was published by FMT on Monday moved her beyond words. The target was reached within 72 hours, bringing tears of joy to the desperate mother.
“Malaysians from every background – Malay, Chinese, and Indian – rallied behind my cause. The response was swift and overwhelming. Readers did not see a stranger in need but a fellow Malaysian, a mother fighting for her child,” she told FMT.
“They stood up to be counted, not as separate communities, but as one nation. I am deeply touched. It’s not just the money but also the faith and hope they have restored. This shows that compassion knows no ethnicity,” she added.
Kogila Vani can now begin the process of giving her daughter the surgery she so desperately needs – a procedure that will allow her to breathe normally through her nose.
She said the oral and maxillofacial clinic at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) has agreed to carry out the surgery for free.
Born with Townes-Brocks syndrome, Goldenhar syndrome, and Pierre Robin sequence, Yaashika has faced a life of complex medical challenges since birth.
These are all rare congenital conditions that affect facial development, hearing, breathing, and feeding.
As a result, Yaashika breathes through a tracheostomy tube and depends on a feeding tube for daily nourishment. She also requires the use of a hearing aid.
UMMC’s oral and maxillofacial clinic head Dr Zainal Ariff Abdul Rahman said that Yaashika’s condition involves multiple craniofacial abnormalities that severely affect her ability to breathe and eat normally.
In a personal message to FMT, Kogila said the media had turned headlines into hope and strangers into family.
“Because you cared, my daughter now has a tomorrow,” she added.