An eight-year-old with severe brain damage needs funds for therapy, medication and a corrective wheelchair, with costs exceeding RM1,800 every three months.
PETALING JAYA: Eight-year-old J’den K’ng spends his days lying on therapy equipment at a care centre in Jalan Gasing, relying entirely on caregivers to move his stiffened body as he battles the lasting effects of severe brain damage.
The centre is appealing for RM30,000 to fund his ongoing medical care.
J’den was born a healthy baby but a fall at around the age of three months caused life-altering brain injuries, affecting his eyesight and ability to control his limbs.
Since then, he has been entirely dependent on others for the simplest daily tasks.
He has been under the care of Persatuan Kebajikan Sayap Kasih Malaysia, also known as IQ70Plus, since the age of one, after his mother, who works in Penang, struggled to manage his long-term care alone.
J’den’s mother visits whenever possible, particularly during festive periods. Details of J’den’s father could not be confirmed, according to the staff at the centre.
Social worker Tracy Tan said J’den requires constant supervision.
“He cannot speak or walk. Most of the time he can only lie down or sit with support, but he can hear our voices.
He will sometimes smile when we laugh. But if we raise our voices, he would think we are scolding him and he will start crying,” she told theSun yesterday.
J’den attends weekly physiotherapy and speech therapy sessions to maintain muscle function and assist with basic movements.
“His muscles are very stiff. Therapy helps loosen them so they do not worsen.
“Speech therapy has helped him learn how to swallow food but it is still difficult,” Tan said.
He also relies on multiple long-term medications, including Baclofen to reduce muscle stiffness, Topamax to manage neurological symptoms and Nexium to protect his stomach from medication side effects.
Tan shared that medication costs exceed RM1,800 every three months, while physiotherapy and speech therapy add RM171.40 to RM234 per week.
Specialists said in December last year that J’den’s hips had begun shifting due to prolonged muscle stiffness, causing an imbalance in leg length.
Doctors have recommended a customised corrective wheelchair to stabilise his posture and support his spine, at a cost of about RM3,750.
Another social worker Peggy Lee Kah Kei said the fundraising effort will also cover his ongoing therapy and medical needs.
“Because J’den cannot see and cannot control his body movements well, the wheelchair will help support his head, hips and legs in the correct position.
Despite his daily challenges, Lee described J’den as a remarkably resilient child.
The fundraising appeal has also gained support from Hamidi’s Comrades in Charity (HCIC).
“After checking the situation and meeting the child, we believe the case is genuine and deserving of support,” founder Hamidi Mookkaiyah Abdullah told theSun.
Members of the public who wish to contribute or learn more about the appeal may contact Peggy Lee Kah Kei at 016-2166739 or via email at [email protected]
