Description
Case No. 1733: Urgent appeal for twin sisters! Two 8-year-old twin sisters have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and urgently seek donations of RM109,920.00 for life-saving stem cell implantation.
Mother Liew Ting Ling explains that her elder daughter began showing symptoms of diabetes last year: dizziness, fatigue, frequent urination, thirst, stomach pains, and even trembling. Without a stem cell transplant to repair the malfunctioning pancreas, her daughter would have to rely on insulin injections five to eight times a day for the rest of her life. The medical expenses for both daughters’ stem cell implantation are enormous, and the mother cannot afford them, hence the earnest request for generous contributions from compassionate individuals across the country.
The elder twin sister is named Sara, and the younger one is Lara. They attend a local Chinese primary school. Sara asked her mother why she had to take injections every time she ate while her classmates did not need them. Even her sister and her cousin, who visited, didn’t require injections.
Liew Ting Ling tearfully explained to a social worker that her elder daughter, Sara, is unaware that without a stem cell transplant, she would have to take injections for the rest of her life. The mother is heartbroken to see her daughter labelled as “different” at school due to the injections and the glucose monitoring sensor on her arm. Her daughter knows that other classmates are not like this! She feels very sad.
[Describing the condition, the mother breaks down every time] – Doctors diagnosed Sara with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, which poses a permanent threat to her physical and mental well-being as she is only 8 years old. The mother suffers in silence, feeling deeply pained. When her daughter was admitted to the intensive care unit for three days last year, she remained unconscious until the fourth day, when she was transferred to a regular ward. She spent a whole 10 days in the hospital, with tubes and catheters inserted in her body. During severe episodes, her skin became dehydrated, and she would speak incoherently.Outside the hospital room, Liew Ting Ling would report her daughter’s condition to family members while shedding tears. However, she knew she had to be strong and wipe away her tears before returning to the room, not wanting her daughter to see her cry and burden her further.
In October last year, Liew Ting Ling noticed something amiss with her elder daughter, Sara, and took her to a nearby hospital for examination. Shockingly, the test results revealed alarmingly high blood sugar levels. Further examinations at other hospitals confirmed the diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, meaning Sara would have to depend on insulin for the rest of her life.
“I bear all the pressure alone; I won’t burden my child and family with it.” Liew Ting Ling also lives with her elderly mother.
The twins’ father is from Yemen but had to return home due to a lack of a work visa to stay in Malaysia. He is currently unemployed in his war-torn homeland and cannot provide financial support for Liew Ting Ling and the enormous medical expenses for their two daughters. This situation weighs heavily on Waleed Abdulrab, the father, despite being far away from his family.
Liew Ting Ling once hoped her daughter would excel academically and have a bright future, but now she realises that health is the most important thing. Her daughter has to take insulin injections every day, and the mother would rather take them herself because she knows her little girl cannot bear too much pain.
Liew Ting Ling blames herself because injecting insulin for her daughter is painful each time. With several injections required daily, she has to do it herself. As her daughter cries out in pain, it breaks the mother’s heart. After countless injections, the mother taught her daughter how to test her blood sugar and administer the injections herself, and Sara became strong, following her mother’s guidance.
[The younger daughter was also diagnosed with the same illness; the mother was devastated!] – To Liew Ting Ling’s shock, the hospital tests revealed that the younger twin, Lara, is also facing the same threatening illness as her sister, Sara. The only difference is that Lara’s symptoms appeared later, and she needs early intervention.Oh my goodness! Both daughters, innocent and adorable, used to play and learn together at home, seemingly like any normal little girls. Now, knowing they are seriously ill, Liew Ting Ling is devastated by the news of both her 8-year-old daughters’ misfortune. How will they navigate the long road ahead?
Neither Liew Ting Ling nor her husband’s parents or families have a history of diabetes. Doctors say that the twins’ illness is not genetically related but caused by changes in their own bodies’ genes.
Doctors say that a transplant of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) can cure the daughters’ condition by repairing the pancreas and preventing it from being attacked by the mutated immune system. However, the cost of the stem cell implantation is exorbitant, leaving the mother feeling helpless and desperate. To care for her daughters, she had to give up her full-time job and now works part-time in administrative roles to earn a meagre income.
With no other options, Liew Ting Ling reached out to Da Ai for help and entrusted us to manage the crowdfunding campaign. The goal is to raise RM96,000 for the stem cell implantation and an additional RM13,920 to purchase Flash Glucose Monitoring System Sensors for the two daughters, amounting to a total of RM109,920.00.
We have launched the crowdfunding campaign, hoping for the wholehearted support of people across the nation to save the precious lives of these twin sisters. We also request everyone’s assistance in sharing this message, so more kind-hearted individuals can come forward to help. Thank you.
【Update- 26 September 2023】
We appreciate the donation of RM13,321.98 to the twins to help with their Type 1 Diabetes. Thank you everyone; crowdfunding has stopped donations.
Liew Ting Ling, the mother of the two sisters, would want to express her appreciation to everyone for helping her. She will take good care of her daughters.
We are incredibly appreciative of everyone who has helped us around the nation. Helping others is the key to happiness, and we wish you all the best of luck in your career and a happy, healthy, and secure family.
