Donations sought for infant with serious disease
KUALA LUMPUR: Security guard A. Kulandai is a troubled man after his second son showed symptoms of the Niemann-Pick disease which claimed the life of his first-born two years ago.
Recently, the one-year-old boy K. Muthukumara appeared lethargic and hardly crawled around. Infants with Niemann-Pick disease usually develop an enlarged liver and spleen by three months of age.
They can’t gain weight or grow at the expected rate, besides going through a progressive loss of mental ability and movement.
Afflicted children generally do not survive past early childhood.
Kulandai, 38, who earns about RM1,300, said he had exhausted his savings in seeking treatment for his two sons.
“Muthukumara is the only child I have now. Please help me to get treatment for him,” he appealed to MIC vice-president Datuk T. Mohan.
Kulandai said he had spent nearly RM50,000 for the tests and treatment for the boys and now only has RM25,000 raised through the help of friends.
He said they had sought treatment after Muthukumara showed symptoms similar to his elder son, who died in August 2016 at the age of five due to the disease and dengue haemorrhagic fever.
A medical report said the elder boy was investigated for global developmental delay as he was not able to move around and not speaking at the age of five.
Kulandai said they had submitted Muthukumara’s medical records to the Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, which gave him a 95% chance of survival.
“They estimated the cost of treatment at RM400,000 and the operation has to be done before Muthukumara reaches 18 months,” he said.
Mohan said the party felt disheartened by the plight of Kulandai, who is an MIC member. The party has decided to initiate a fund-raising campaign to save the boy’s life.
“We will donate RM5,000 to start the ball rolling and hope other caring people will come forward to donate generously to the boy,” he said.
For inquiries, contact MIC Youth secretary Arvind Krishnan at 013-234 5333.