$85,000 raised for toddler with blood clot in brain
What was meant to be a short family trip here took a turn for the worse when two-year-old Muhammad Raffique Rayfal was found to have a blood clot in his brain.
His uncle, Mr Amy Recha, 25, a footballer with Geylang International Football Club, took to crowdfunding platform Give.asia to raise funds for Raffique's medical bills. More than $35,000 had been raised by 900 people at press time.
In an interview with The New Paper, Mr Recha said his half-sister, Raffique's mother, who lives in Johor Baru, came to Singapore with her husband and three children on June 3 to surprise their father.
Then, Raffique was already having a fever, but it became worse that day, and his mother took him to a clinic.
Mr Recha said: "At the clinic, Raffique had fits, and the doctor referred him to the hospital. The hospital's doctor did checks on him and said there was a blood clot in his brain."
Raffique was diagnosed with cerebral abscess and had to undergo an operation the same day.
"He was in the intensive care unit, with a lot of tubes at his head. It is painful for me to see him, such a young child, that way," Mr Recha said.
Raffique has since undergone two more operations, and he needs three more.
Mr Recha said: "As he is a Malaysian citizen, he is an international patient at the National University Hospital."
Raffique's medical bill stands at about $50,000 so far, but the family will need close to $100,000 for all of the toddler's procedures.
Apart from the donations on Give.asia, Mr Recha has also raised more than $50,000 through donations made directly to his bank account.
But a Give.asia spokesman advised him to stop the offline donations, citing credibility.
The spokesman said: "Donations on the Give.Asia platform can be seen by everyone.
"It is more towards accountability and transparency, and the funds collected are seen by everyone."
Mr Recha said he and his sister felt overwhelmed by the support they have received.
He said: "I am blessed to be able to get help from fellow Singaporeans. I have received hundreds of messages from people giving us support.
"My sister cried when I gave her the donations. She did not expect Singaporeans to help her, a Malaysian."
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