Real Lives

Friday January 29, 2010

Mother-of-four at wit’s end

By Chitra S. Nathan

metro@thestar.com.my

WHILE her Chinese neighbours and friends are preparing to welcome the Year of the Tiger, celebration is the furthest thing on housewife Yua Hwee Tin's mind this year as the mother of four is at her wit's end trying to scrape together enough money to provide medical treatment and proper nutrition for her children.

Her oldest child, 12-year-old Lee Yaan Ni suffers from scoliosis, a spine deformation that would cost RM20,000 to correct with surgery, and her youngest child, seven-month-old Hae Bao, was born with necrotizing enterocolitis, a disorder in which injury to the inner layers of the intestine allows bacteria to damage the intestinal wall, causing infection.

In Hae Bao's case, his condition required two operations to remove part of his intestine.

Although he is much better now, Hae Bao has been prescribed a hypoallergenic infant formula (milk powder) that costs RM173 per tin.

Yua, 37, said she and her husband had already exhausted their savings just to provide their youngest son with the nutrition he needed and were now living from hand to mouth with help from relatives.

It never rains but it pours: Yip cradling Hae Bao. With him Yaan Ni, who is suffering from scoliosis, Yua (left) and Yoong (back).

"My husband Poh Chong is only a lorry driver. We were managing fine earlier but our daughter's scoliosis diagnosis and our youngest son's medical condition occurred almost at the same time and it was quite a shock for us.

"We only noticed that something was wrong with my daughter's back last year, and at that time, I was pregnant with Hae Bao. We thought she would be able to have her surgery after our son was born but we had no choice but to delay it as our son needed medical treatment, too," she said tearfully when met at her home in Taman Tunku Besar in Tampin, Negri Sembilan, recently.

The couple have two other sons, Hae Yuen, 11, and Hae Ping, 10.

Yua said doctors had advised her to keep feeding her son the hypoallergenic infant formula until he was at least a year old.

"My son needs proper nutrition, which means 10 tins of the special milk powder monthly, which costs almost RM2,000, and my daughter's scoliosis is worsening day by day. I really do not know what to do but my children's health is my priority.

"I can only hope that once he turns one, my son can be taken off the special milk powder, which would be a big relief to us. Otherwise, I do not know how I am going to manage.

"My daughter needs her surgery urgently, too, as her condition has worsened so much over the past few months, and she now has a notice­able hump on her back," she said.

Fortunately for the family, word of their plight has reached the ears of state Crisis Relief Squad of MCA (CRSM) chief Datuk Yip Chee Kiong, who, together with local CRSM head Yoong Yong Mok, is trying to raise funds for the two Lee siblings.

Yip expressed hope that caring Malaysians would come forward to help the family in their time of need.

"I hope we will raise enough for Yaan Ni's surgery and also for Hae Bao's milk powder for the next few months. All this family needs is a little bit of assistance. After that, I am sure they will be able to do just fine," he said, adding that the family needed a total of RM30,000 for Lee's surgery and Hae Bao's milk.

Those interested in contributing to the family can address their cheques to Yua Hwee Tin and send them to the MCA Tampin division office at 80-A, Kg. Baru Tampin, 73000 Tampin.

Yoong can be contacted at 019-655 5345 or 06-441 1951.