9-Year-Old Malaysian Girl Needs Donations For Treatment Of Rare Form Of Leukaemia
Dealing with terminal illnesses at a young age can be distressing for young children. Even more so, when treatment for such diseases requires a huge amount of funds.
This is unfortunately the case for nine-year-old Qian Thong, who suffers from a rare form of leukaemia.
Her family is urgently appealing for donations of up to S$330,000, to manage the high costs of treatment for the disease.
Symptoms began with swollen neck
Posting a crowdfunding campaign for Qian Thong to Give.asia, her family shared that her symptoms started in September 2022 when her neck began to swell.
Source: Give.asia
The swelling on the right side of her neck was apparently tender to the touch and palpable. Three weeks before the diagnosis, her family admitted her to Fatimah Hospital in Ipoh for gastroenteritis.
While there was no abnormalities during a blood test, a paediatric specialist on 22 Oct 2022 said that the swelling to her neck and bruises on her left thigh were abnormal.
The results of a subsequent blood report led to the diagnosis of paediatric leukaemia due to abnormality of her white blood cells.
Medical staff referred Qian Thong to government hospitals in Ipoh for further investigation and treatment.
Diagnosed with rare type of leukaemia
After the first phase of induction chemotherapy, Qian Thong was diagnosed with a “distinctly rare subtype” of paediatric leukaemia, Early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, or ETP-ALL.
This was more complex and had a lower chance of recovery, according to her family.
Source: Give.asia
After three months of chemotherapy, the young girl’s leukaemia relapsed.
During those three months, she also had a fungal infection and a catheter insertion into her body twice from her right to left breast.
In January 2023, her family had the option of increasing her chemotherapy drug usage or sending her to a hospital in Singapore.
Source: Give.asia
They opted for the latter, and sent their daughter to National University Hospital (NUH), where Qian Thong received Venetoclax. A type of chemotherapy drug, it thankfully worked.
Unfortunately, she was unable to do another form of therapy and in the past few weeks, suffered a haemorrhoid in the outer part of her anus as well.
Her afflictions have caused her a huge amount of pain, causing her to rely on morphine.
Girl requires donations for treatment of rare leukaemia
Eventually, doctors allowed Qian Thong to receive Car-T treatment, the only kind that may cure her of her leukaemia.
She would have to be admitted to hospital to avoid any infections due to her low white blood cell count affecting her immunity.
Since mid-January this year, her parents have apparently spent around S$150,000 for her treatment. It has made their situation more burdensome, as their only source of finance comes from her father.
According to doctors, Qian Thong requires around S$300,000 for the treatment, and her family still owes their friends around S$100,000. This is in addition to managing daily expenses.
As such, they are currently seeking donations to meet a target of S$330,000. Interested parties can donate to Qian Thong’s campaign here.
Seeing Qian Thong in pain is certainly heartbreaking, but we’re sure she’s a fighter and will be able to see this battle through with her parents by her side.
Hopefully, the kind donations from the public will ease their burdens significantly and help the young girl in her recovery.
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Featured image adapted from Give.asia.
