Parents Seeking Donations For Medical Bills For Premature Baby
Born three months too early, a baby named Mirah is currently under a ventilator to help with her breathing difficulties.
In addition, she suffers from unstable blood pressure and has to remain in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) for at least three months.
Her parents are now seeking donations to assist with funding her medical bills.
Baby’s parents tried to conceive for 6 years
On their Give.asia fundraising page, Mirah’s father, who’s known only as J J, shared that his wife came to Singapore to work under an S Pass in 2022.
He joined her the following year under the Dependent’s Pass.
J J added that they had been trying to have a baby for six years but experienced issues.
During a check-up, the doctor discovered a fibroid — a non-cancerous tumour — outside Mirah’s mother’s uterus.
Although they were told to get it removed, the couple had to postpone the operation due to their financial situation.
Mirah was eventually conceived naturally in 2023.
However, the doctor informed them that the fibroid was growing and that it was impossible to remove due to the pregnancy.
Mirah’s father went on to share that the pregnancy went smoothly during the first six months.
They were also reassured that the fibroid was not affecting the baby’s growth.
The couple even planned to travel back to their hometown so that Mirah’s mother could give birth there.
Premature baby born with breathing difficulties
Unfortunately, the situation took a turn on 2 Jan this year when Mirah’s mother started experiencing intense pain.
They went to see a gynaecologist, who said that the baby was still healthy.
However, two days later, Mirah’s mother felt labour pains and was conveyed to KKH.
Initially due in early April, Mirah was born on 4 Jan at just 26 weeks and two days. She weighed a mere 790g.
Due to her condition, Mirah suffers from breathing difficulties, unstable blood pressure, and other health complications.
She thus requires continuous support, including:
- Ventilator assistance
- The use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine
- Oral help from a nasogastric tube (NGT)
- Insulin for a high sugar level
Parents seek donations for premature baby
Mirah will need to be in the NICU for at least three months, which will cost her parents more than S$350,000.
Since both of them are foreigners, they do not have subsidies or insurance coverage to help with Mirah’s medical bills.
As a result, they turned to Give.asia to seek donations from the public.
Describing the dire state of their current situation, Mirah’s father said:
All we can do is to pray for our baby who is now struggling all alone in the NICU.
“With heavy hearts, we are requesting all the compassionate people around to support us during this crucial time of need,” he added.
At the time of writing, the couple has raised almost S$113,000 from more than 700 donors.
Those interested in contributing to the campaign can donate via the Give.asia crowdfunding site.
All funds will be managed by Give.asia and paid directly to the hospital for Mirah’s medical bills.
Also read: Premature Twins In S’pore Born With Heart Defects, Mother Seeks Donations To Fund Medical Bills
Premature Twins In S’pore Born With Heart Defects, Mother Seeks Donations To Fund Medical Bills
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Featured image adapted from Give.asia.