Nur Natasya Rashid, 26 and her husband, Muhammad Iqmal Ramli, 26, have been struggling to make ends meet since 2017 when their third child, Nur Mardhiah Shahadah Abdul Hadi, 5, was diagnosed with cancer of the lungs and eye.
“When informed of the disease, Nur Madhiah was just three months old. Since then, various treatments including surgeries have been performed on her,” the young mother shared during an interview at their rented home at Taman Kledang, Sungai Siput yesterday.
Nur Natasya moved to Perak from Kajang since her marriage with Muhammad Iqmal who hails from Ipoh.
“My husband also had to quit his job as he always took leave when we needed to bring Nur Mardhiah to the children treatment unit of Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL),” she said.
Muhammad Iqmal, who previously worked on a contract basis, is now working as a runner and occasionally sells rendang (dry curry) and kerepek (chips) to cover the expenses of the whole family.
Nur Natasya stated that the income received from sales and his work as a runner is around RM800 a month.
“The house rent costs RM450. We also need to cover the expenditure of the other children and the journey to HKL.
“Fortunately, as Mardhiah is categorised under the differently abled (OKU), the treatment cost at the hospital is subsidised by the government. However, currently, the hearing aids have to be purchased outside at the pharmacy with an estimated cost of RM1,500,” she explained.
She also has a 7-year-old and a 6-year-old from her previous marriage and a 6-month-old with Muhammad Iqmal.
Her eldest has yet to to be registered for school due to financial factors.
According to her, applications for assistance to various related agencies and departments have been submitted but have yet to receive any approval.
“There were even rejections, as if we were not eligible,” she said.
She added that the house they are renting is on the kindness of an anonymous individual who also paid for the deposit when they first started renting.
Previously, the whole family lived in Meru, Ipoh. After Nur Natasya’s husband was no longer working, the couple decided to move here.
She stated that Nur Mardhiah has undergone more than 20 surgeries since being diagnosed with cancer of the lungs and eye which has now spread to the ear.
She accepts her fate and the explanation of the medical experts. According to her, if it is true that her child can no longer be treated here, she appeals to any medical experts from outside the country who wish to treat Nur Mardhiah even though it is quite impossible for her to bear the cost.
Thus, members of the public who would like to help the family in covering their daily expenses can contact 013-8752749 (Nur Natasya) or channel the contribution to their CIMB Bank account: 7634138054.
Rosli Mansor
=============================
Get your local news fast. Download the Ipoh Echo App on your mobile. Available on both Google Playstore and Apple Appstore.
