KUALA LUMPUR: A 4-year-old child Nur Izz Adriana Abdul Aziz is in desperate need of RM50,000 in funds for a medical procedure to correct a deformity in the tibia.
Zalini Abdul Rahman, 31, said her daughter suffers from congenital right tibia pseudarthrosis with a deformity in the tibia (bent shin bone) for the past two years.
She said her first daughter, Adriana affectionately called "Adik", fell while jumping and playing at a food stall where her father works.
"At first, it seemed like just a regular sprain, and she could still walk at the time.
"That was until we brought her to the hospital. The doctor said her leg bone was broken and needed to be cast. Her leg was cast three times.
"Adik's leg bone didn't look bent before they cast her leg, but by the third time the doctor removed the cast, we saw that the tibia had protruded," she said.
She said the doctor informed them that her daughter's leg became like that because the bone had not set properly during the casting process.
Zalini said although her daughter cannot walk now, she hopes Adriana can get better and be able to attend school.
"Adik should have started school this year, but we had to postpone enrolling her because she cannot walk.
"She never asks about her leg, but she often touches the area around the shinbone. If we asked to look at the bone, she would cover it, feeling embarrassed to show her right leg," she said.
Zalini, who holds a disabled person card for intellectual disability, is currently not working and relies on financial support from her husband. The latter works at a restaurant with a monthly salary of RM800.
More than half of her husband's salary is used to pay the RM500 house rent. She hopes the public's donation will put them at ease and give her child a normal life.
Paediatric orthopaedic surgeon Dr Abd Razak Mohamad said Adriana requires resection of the right tibia pseudarthrosis, telescopic nailing fixation and bone grafting.
"For her treatment, we will straighten the bone, remove the abnormal part (known as pseudarthrosis), and compress it to ensure it heals properly.
"And to keep it straight, we need to place a rod inside. The rod is called a telescopic nail implant, which is inserted into the bone. "This implant can lengthen as the child grows," he said.
DR Razak said the recovery period would take three to six months before she could walk normally. The operation, which may take up to four hours, will be carried out as soon as possible.
Donations can be made in the form of a cheque, with the patient's name indicated on the back, payable to the Media Prima-NSTP Humanitarian Fund.
Contributions can be sent to the Corporate Communication Department of Media Prima Berhad, Level Four, Anjung Riong, Balai Berita, 31 Jalan Riong, 59100 Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
Alternatively, donations can be made through Bank Muamalat (account number 14010008842718) or Maybank (account number 514105323170).
Donors should specify the patient's name in the recipient reference section or provide relevant payment details.
Donations to the Media Prima-NSTP Humanitarian Fund are tax-deductible.