Diseases are often scary, especially those without a cure. Even if there is, some people may be trapped in a financial constraint as medical treatment can be expensive and unaffordable.
Just this morning (December 15), a Malaysian mother, Karen has sought help from the public via her Facebook post as her 8-years old son is suffering from relapsed cancer – Neuroblastoma with Differentiate Sub-Type.
Karen’s son, Jarvis was first diagnosed with cancer back in 2017 when he was only 3 years old.
“Neuroblastoma has been known as the ‘Monster of Children Cancers’, a rare cancer with rapid and dangerous onset.
Back then, Jarvis received treatment at a government hospital in KL, and the process was not easy as the little soul had to go through a series of harsh treatments.
- 8 rounds of low dose chemotherapy
- Surgery for tumor removal
- 12 rounds of high dose chemotherapy
- Autologous stem cell transplant
- Radiotherapy
- Oral medication for maintenance
That is a ton of massive treatment for such a young child!
Karen stopped working during the treatment as she needed to be there for Jarvis and his little brother. Following the treatment, Jarvis has been declared NED – no evidence of disease detected since 2019. Unfortunately, the notorious cancer “crawled” its way back to Jarvis.
In October 2022, Karen received an alarming PET-CT scan report which confirmed that there’s been a relapse, which caused Jarvis to have a lesion on his left jaw bone.
This means that Karen is bound to expect another series of treatments for Jarvis, and here’s what the oncology doctor had to say.
“Hemimandibulectomy surgery has to be conducted to remove and reconstruct the left jaw, which is possible with radiotherapy.”
Not only that but Jarvis also has to go through another series of chemotherapies and immunotherapy with a medicine known as Qarziba, which is used to treat Neuroblastoma. However, it is NOT cheap.
“Qarziba is an imported drug with high cost that we need to bear for it. The total cost for Qarziba is RM471,052.80.”
Full payment is required before Qarziba is ordered, and Karen needs to have the money ready by March 2023. As they are unable to afford the cost of the medication, they see no choice but to seek help from the public. You can also refer to the medical reports, which are attached in her post below.
Fellow Malaysians, if you’re interested to help, you may find the details of the bank account below.
ONG PANG HAN (Maybank: 505104033686)
However, if you’re unable to help financially, sharing this post will mean something to the family. We hope that Karen is able to stay strong during this tough period and hopefully, little Jarvis will recover soon!
Also read: Son With Only SPM Results Becomes Caretaker Of Dad Who Used To Look Down At Him
