Mother of thalassemia boy expresses gratitude

KOTA KINABALU: Neowell Vann Houtton, who suffers from thalassemia major, was able to receive his transfusion Wednesday afternoon as a day patient at the Women and Children’s Likas Hospital in Kota Kinabalu after a two-day nationwide appeal for O Positive blood donors.

After waiting one-and-a-half months at home and getting progressively weaker, he finally received two bags of blood that matched his rare blood type O Positive R1R1 JKA after developing a reaction in the first transfusion on Tuesday.

His mother Selly Onong only has praised for hospital staff who managed to ease the rashes immediately with medication.

“I am absolutely overwhelmed and grateful to the press and all the donors for responding so quickly to my appeal.

“Neowell needs monthly blood transfusions for the rest of his life and I have been going in and out of the public hospitals in Kota Kinabalu every month for over a decade.

“The directors, doctors and nurses have always given the best possible care and treatment for my son and I have faith in our medical services in Malaysia.

“Once in a while, through no fault of theirs, the blood bank has no blood match and then it becomes urgent.

“The last time I appealed like this was in 2013 and this is my 5th time ever over the past 12 years. I love my son and I will do anything for him,” Selly said.

Selly added that she will never know the source of blood received for Neowell and can only pray and hope that O Positive donors will ask their hospitals or doctors to determine if they are O Positive R1R1 JKA.

“If you are of this blood type, Neowell needs you, and I would like you to be on my emergency database of donors, so please do get in touch with me on 0128676351.”

Selly also appealed to Malaysians to make blood donation a part of their civic duties.

“As a mother of a child who needs blood transfusions from the blood bank every month, I know only too well the fear and trauma my family go through when the blood bank is dry.

“It takes a few minutes to donate and even if you donated once a year, someone out there may be saved, because you never know when it’s you or someone you love who may need to rely on the blood of a total stranger from a bank,” she said.