Family Of Baby With Chronic Lung Disease Needs Help

ALOR SETAR, May 21 (Bernama) -- The family of an 11-month-old baby who relies on a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine due to chronic lung disease urgently needs assistance.

Norhidayu Halim, 35, from Taman Kota Nelayan, Kuala Kedah, said her son Mohd Aariz Zafran Mohd Azlan was diagnosed with chronic lung disease, an enlarged spleen, and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) at two months old.

"He has to use the CPAP machine all the time, except for an hour in the morning and evening during baths. He struggles to breathe without it, and his face turns blue," she told Bernama today.

"My child is supposed to drink special milk, but it's expensive, so we only give him regular milk mixed with cereal," she said.

Their limited income adds to the difficulty, as her husband, Mohd Azlan Ishak, 36, works as an assistant at a fish landing jetty, earning RM50 a day.

"We don't have a car and must travel to the hospital by motorcycle. Taking a taxi is too expensive. We also have to buy food, which adds to our expenses," she said, adding that if Mohd Aariz Zafran and his brother have hospital appointments on the same day, the four of them will go by motorcycle. 

Besides Aariz, Norhidayu has four other children from her first marriage. Her eldest, 17, has cerebral palsy, while her third child suffers from a hole in the heart, seizures, asthma, and chronic lung disease.

"Due to financial constraints, my three sons, aged 17, 14, and nine, live with my mother. My four-year-old daughter stays with my husband and me at my in-laws' house. My mother-in-law is also paralysed," she said.

Norhidayu added that they have yet to receive regular financial assistance but have recently applied to the Lembaga Zakat Negeri Kedah.

Meanwhile, her husband, Mohd Azlan Ishak, 36, said they were deeply moved and surprised after learning that their family's plight had reached the attention of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said upon finding out it had gone viral on social media last Sunday, they were very worried about being criticised by netizens.

"However, today, I feel very grateful because some netizens made my story go viral, and in a way, they have helped me, so thank you very much.

"I heard someone is willing to help us with a car, but I'm unsure if it's true. However, we need a vehicle to take our children to and from the hospital. During this rainy season, it's difficult to take them on a motorcycle," he said.

-- BERNAMA