A new lease of life for girl

THANKS to public generosity, nine-month-old Nur Aisha Sofia will be able to lead a normal life after undergoing a major heart surgery.

Nur Aisha, who suffered from a hole in the heart and artery failure, underwent the surgery at a private hospital in Penang on May 11 with funds raised from the public.

Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong said RM21,198 was raised from public donations. He said the total medical bill was expected to be RM45,000.

He said private corporations, individuals or non-governmental organisations wanting to “adopt” Nur Aisha by helping fund her follow-up treatments and medication could call his aide Carol Lim at 012-2326101.

Earlier this month, her father – burger seller Mohd Husaif Hussein, 24, had appealed to the public through the media to help save his daughter’s life but did not expect the overwhelming response.

“I never expected so many people to come forward to help because times are so bad.

“Words cannot express how very grateful we are to everyone who has contributed to making her operation a success,” he told reporters yesterday at their home in Tanjong Tokong, Penang.

The family is currently living at a temporary housing project for the 2007 Tanjong Tokong fire victims.

Nur Aisha’s mother, Iza Fazlina Mohd Nor, 26, said her daughter was wheeled into the operating theatre at 1pm and only came out at 8pm.

“The surgeon says she is recovering very fast so the medical bill might be less than we expected.

“We have to still be careful but if there is no infection, she will make a full recovery,” the post office clerk said.

Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong said RM21,198 was raised from public donations. He said the total medical bill was expected to be RM45,000.

“The balance will be underwritten by a private trust fund but we are expecting a few more pledges to come in. So far, we’ve received 77 cheques of various amounts from caring Penangites.

“An individual, who only wanted to be known as Tan, even went around his factory in Bayan Lepas to collect donations for Nur Aisha.

“The workers gave whatever they could afford and that’s the beauty of it. It’s not about how much you can give, it is the willingness to help,” Liew said.

He said private corporations, individuals or non-governmental organisations wanting to “adopt” Nur Aisha by helping fund her follow-up treatments and medication could call his aide Carol Lim at 012-2326101.

Nur Aisha’s heart condition was discovered when she underwent a hernia operation last month.

During the operation, she had difficulty breathing and turned blue. Her artery was not pumping blood to the brain and she was found to suffer from two major heart problems — a hole in the heart and artery failure.

The Star