Wong (centre) with his committee members pose with Marianna and Alexsius.
KUCHING: A 10-month-old infant is now free from persistent truncus arteriosus, a serious congenital heart disease which he was born with, thanks to a recent surgery funded by the Malaysia Shan Xin Charity and Welfare Organisation.
Alexsius Kerani Marianna underwent the open heart surgery at the Gleneagles Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur last Nov 29.
The infant and his mother Marianna Muhammad stayed at the medical centre for 18 days following the successful surgery.
They were flown back to the state last Saturday (Dec 15) and Alexsius was delivered to the Sarawak Heart Centre in Kota Samarahan near here for a follow-up.
The Malaysia Shan Xin Charity and Welfare Organisation, founded by Dato Sri Wong Ing Tong, sponsored a total of RM120,000 for the surgery.
Wong, who led a team of committee members, paid a visit to the infant and his mother at the Gleneagles Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur last Thursday (Dec 13).
Alexsius, who was born in Miri, was referred to the Sarawak Heart Centre near here from the Miri Hospital last Nov 15 upon being diagnosed with the serious congenital heart disease.
The condition was potentially life-threatening and thus required open heart surgery as soon as possible.
Sarawak does not have the expertise to perform the surgery locally due to complexity of the condition.
When Marianna learnt that the surgery could be performed at the Gleneagles Medical Centre at a cost between RM70,000 and RM100,000, she approached the organisation for financial assistance.
The organisation managed to raise over RM200,000 in three days after receiving the earnest request from the mother.
It is learnt that the condition of Alexsius is stable after the surgery.
However, he is expected to return to the medical centre in Kuala Lumpur for a follow-up within two years.
Marianna could not thank the organisation enough for helping save her baby’s life.
She also extended her utmost gratitude to sponsors and donors who made the surgery happen.
The mother agreed to let the organisation handle the rest of the fund, which will be channelled to reach out to other patients who are in need.
Established in 2015, the organisation is a national charitable body with an objective of helping the needy and the underprivileged group in the country.
To date, the organisation has helped at least 700 individuals faced with various issues across Malaysia.