24/10/2025

FRIDAY | OCT 24, 2025

6

Cancer girl gets lifeline

o RM300,000 needed for liver transplant received in five days after public donations pour in

In recent years, her condition worsened into biliopulmonary and biliogastric fistula, a rare complication that caused liver failure, cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Doctors at several hospitals, including the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, advised that her case was too complex to be treated locally. The family launched a donation drive earlier this month to raise RM300,000 for surgery, travel and post-transplant care. Mariamma said she has been deeply moved by the generosity of the public. “I’m really grateful for all the donations and messages. Without everyone’s help, we couldn’t have made it this far. I’ll continue updating everyone on Meera’s progress on Facebook once we are in India,” she said. The campaign also drew support from Hamidi’s Comrades in Charity (HCIC), a volunteer group that helped share Meera’s story and mobilise contributions. HCIC secretary Hamidi Mookkaiyah Abdullah, 66, said the group collected about

I truly didn’t expect it to happen this quickly. “Our target was by the end of the month, or maybe the first week of November. But the response was incredible,” she told theSun . With the funds secured, the family is now preparing to fly to New Delhi on Nov 12 for the procedure at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. Mariamma said she and her husband will accompany Meeran, while her other children will remain in Malaysia under the care of her mother. “We have already made the arrangements. For the first few days, we will stay at a hotel near the hospital before moving to a small apartment or bed-and-breakfast nearby. “I’ll be staying at the hospital with Meera throughout her recovery, while her father will commute daily,” she said. Meera, a childhood liver cancer survivor, was first diagnosed with hepatoblastoma at the age of six. Since then, she has undergone three major surgeries and several rounds of chemotherapy. financial hardship following a period of unemployment. “When Huang first met me, he was jobless and in a tough spot. He simply could not afford to care for his three children. Being from Teluk Intan, he knew about Jaz Home and came to ask if we could help.” Moved by his sincerity and desperation to secure a better future for his children, Kong and his team took them in. Jaz Home, which has operated for 16 years, provides shelter, food and access to formal education for all children under its care. “We make sure every child under our care attends school. Those not yet of school-going age are enrolled in kindergartens,” said Kong. For Huang, placing his children in Jaz Home was not an act of abandonment but a painful decision made out of love. Kong said Huang wanted his children to have access to education, proper nutrition and a stable environment, things he knew he could not provide at the time. “He is in his 50s now. His eldest is only nine and the youngest just five. By the time they are in university, he will be in his 60s or 70s. He worries he won’t be able to support them then.” Jaz Home has cared for more than 60 children since 2009. Sixteen are in various universities, with eight having graduated andcurrently

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

RM12,000, while most donations were sent directly to Mariamma’s account. “We stopped the collection after confirming the target was reached. It only took five days and the response was overwhelming,” he said, adding that the outcome reflects the strength of collective goodwill. “We thank everyone who contributed, including theSun , for helping to raise awareness. This shows how much good can be achieved when people come together,” he said.

PETALING JAYA: In just five days, Malaysians rallied together to help 16-year-old Meera Bernadette ( pic ) hit her RM300,000 fundraising goal for her life-saving liver transplant in India. Her mother Mariamma Govindan, 50, said the family reached their target on Tuesday following an overwhelming wave of public support from across the country after Meera’s plight was highlighted by theSun on Oct 18. “We reached the full amount Tuesday night.

Pay it forward, says dad with integrity

Ű BY IKHWAN ZULKAFLEE newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: A father of three children now under the care of a children welfare NGO in Teluk Intan, Perak, has declined public donations. Huang Guowei, the single parent of the two girls and a boy, said he has secured a stable job and no longer needs financial help. According to Jaz Home chairman Kong Sun Chin, 63, Huang made it clear he did not wish to take advantage of public goodwill despite generous offers pouring in from kind-hearted individuals, including those abroad. “If he wanted to benefit from public generosity, he could have easily accepted the money offered to him. But he told us firmly that he doesn’t want handouts, as he has secured a permanent job with a construction company in Kuala Lumpur,” Kong told theSun. Huang, who is employed as a lorry driver in the capital, has instead urged well-wishers to channel their contributions directly to Jaz Home, which currently cares for his children and many others in need. Kong added that offers of help had come from as far as Dubai, with individuals reaching out to provide financial aid directly to Huang. He said Huang approached him after separating from his Vietnamese wife and facing

Kong with the children at Jaz Home, where they will be provided shelter, food and access to formal education. – PIC COURTESY OF JAZ HOME

working. One is pursuing a Master’s degree while another will graduate this year, with the rest still completing their studies. Huang’s story first came to light through Sin Chew Daily , which reported that Jaz Home representatives took his children, aged five, seven and nine, into their care on Oct 13.

On that emotional day, Huang’s son clung tightly to his leg, refusing to let go. Kosmo! later reported that the siblings have since adjusted well, made new friends and expressed gratitude for being able to stay together under one roof, with hopes of easing their father’s burden one day.

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