Case No. 2330: Nine-year-old Goh Mei Chu has faced challenges far greater than most children since the day she was born.
She was diagnosed with esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula, a congenital digestive system disorder, and underwent emergency surgery on just her second day of life. It was only after two long weeks that her parents were finally able to see their tiny daughter. Seeing her fragile body covered with tubes was heartbreaking for her mother, Ng Wei Boon (38 years old). Mei Chu remained in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for nearly four months before she was finally well enough to go home.
[From a silent world to responding to her parents' voices.]
In addition to her digestive condition, Mei Chu was also born with several other congenital disorders. Over the years, she has undergone two cleft lip repair surgeries, and her gastrostomy has finally been successfully closed.
However, abnormalities in the development of both ears have severely affected her hearing. For a long time, no matter how many times her parents called her, she barely responded, as if she were living in a world of complete silence. Everything changed after doctors recommended that she wear a hearing aid in her left ear. It was like a miracle. She began responding to her parents' voices, noticing the sounds around her, and reconnecting with the world.
During a follow-up appointment, doctors confirmed that she had adapted well to the hearing aid and strongly recommended fitting a hearing aid for her right ear as soon as possible. With hearing support in both ears, her speech development, learning ability, and overall growth will improve significantly.
Today, Mei Chu is working hard to learn how to eat independently, read, and speak. To devote herself fully to her daughter's care and development, her mother resigned from her job as an assistant at a special education institution. Her father, Goh Boon Ching (38 years old), now shoulders the family's financial burden alone by working two daily-wage jobs—an electrician during the day and a helper at a cooked food stall in the evening. Whenever he takes leave to accompany Mei Chu for medical appointments, he loses that day's income. Mei Chu is their only child.
[A helping hand for her brighter future.]
Although the family lives with limited means, they have never given up hope for their daughter. Their greatest wish is for Mei Chu to enjoy the same opportunities as other children, to study well, grow up healthy, and build a future of her own.
We decided to launch a fundraising campaign to raise RM8,000 to purchase a hearing aid for Mei Chu's right ear.
Every contribution, no matter the amount, will help this brave little girl, who has already endured multiple surgeries, hear more of the world around her and experiences the love and kindness that surrounds her.
We sincerely invite you to join us in helping Mei Chu regain the sound that belongs to her. Please also share her story so that more people can lend their support and help her receive her hearing aid as soon as possible. Thank you.
